Things change
by zellojello
Summary: My first fanfic. It's a hopefully ongoing story based around Charon & the Lone Wanderer. A simple love story that I found myself hoping Bethesda would provide for us in-game. Rated M for language/suggestive themes. Don't own, obviously. -COMPLETE-
1. Chapter 1

Charon shifted uncomfortably and grumbled to himself. His new master had a tendency of taking him places or doing things that made him downright uncomfortable. If she weren't schlepping him all over the god-forsaken wastes she was forcing him to prop his feet up in this shit-bucket of a town. He hated Megaton. He hated being surrounded by these smoothskins. He hated how the settlers eyed him apprehensively as he passed with the pretty young thing that now carried his contract. He hated how happy everyone was to see her. Worst of all, he hated the stupid puppy look that Gob, the fucker, got on his face every damn time they walked into Moriority's. Charon didn't know why he hated it, but he did.

He stood in her living room, arms crossed, and stared at the dog who sat panting by his feet. Dogmeat, oblivious and happy as always was staring into nothingness. The animal already seemed accustomed to his new life (_of retirement_, she would say) and seemed to enjoy lounging around the Megaton house day in and day out as Charon and his master would venture to and from the wastes. _Good riddance_, thought Charon. The only thing the dog seemed to be good at was blowing your cover and jumping right in front of your goddamn bullets. More than once his master and he had spent valuable time looking around the wastes for the dumb animal who would run off yet again for no good reason. Things had gone smoother now that Dogmeat was "in retirement."

Charon grumbled again and scuffed his feet on the warn metal floors. Even with the pre-war theme this house felt like little more than a gussied up tin can. It didn't help that the floating metallic monstrosity (Wadsworth? Bently? Charon could never remember…) was forever in his way in these narrow quarters. As if on cue, the robotic butler's voice stirred upstairs. "Good morning madam!" it piped happily. "What can I do for you today?"

"Nothing today Wadsworth, thanks though," came the cheery voice from upstairs. Noel, Charon's new master, was polite to everyone. Even to the goddamn robot. Everything about her outright glowed. That girl, with her strawberry blond hair and too clean face, made Charon more nervous than anything else. He couldn't understand why she unnerved him as much as she did. She was fragile, innocent and almost helpless without him. She was naive and trusting and downright gullible sometimes. Surviving in the wastes as she had, well, it was downright dangerous.

Noel bounded lightly down the stairs and cracked Charon a smile, fresh and white. She pat Dogmeat lightly on the head and opened her favorite locker right near the door. She began loading and unloading equipment, occasionally holding out something useful for Charon to keep; stimpacks, purified water, or ammunition rounds. She smiled as she held out some shotgun shells. "You don't mind leaving so soon do you?" She asked, blue eyes twinkling.

Charon reached for the shells, mindful of how his thick red flesh looked next to her pale smooth skin. He pocketed the shells quickly and answered in his gravelly voice, "I do what you want me to do."

Noel gave a little chuckle and shut the locker door. "You're too good to me, you know that?" She brushed past him and knelt to be eye level with the dog. "Look after this place, Dogmeat. Charon and I don't want to see a mess when we come home." She stroked the dog's fur, gave the animal a tight hug around his neck, and planted a kiss on the top of his head before standing up and brushing herself off.

_Home_, Charon thought ruefully. Yes. He supposed that if he were ever to have a home, this would be it.

Noel stood and eyed him suspiciously. "You sure you're ready to go? You look like you're thinking of something," she said, a hint of teasing in her voice.

Charon grunted and opened the door out to Megaton. He had never been especially close with any of his former masters, and it had suited both parties just fine. Noel, on the other hand, always seemed to be looking for a crack in his defenses that would reveal more about who he was. Initially, she was downright annoying with her questions and her prodding. After realizing that she wouldn't get more than one word answers, she had relented. She seemed accustomed to the fact that Charon didn't want to share his past with her, but that didn't stop her from the occasional try.

Charon didn't understand why she would even care. Most humans wouldn't give a ghoul a second glance, unless they were on the hunt that is, let alone try to get to know one. But there she was, looking at him as though he weren't a sack of rotting flesh; staring into his eyes as though she could see through the milky film that covered his once-blue irises. Even when they first met, when he had worked for Ahzrukhal, she was quick to probe him with questions, and even quicker to take on his contract. Thinking back to their first night together, Noel had confessed that she needed Charon's help in order to survive the wastes and to find her father. Guiltily, she had apologized for removing him from Underworld (_his home_, she had said) for her own selfish reasons, and promised that upon reuniting with her dad, she would set him free.

_Free?_ Charon had thought. He never remembered being free. The concept was so new and foreign to him that it barely registered. He had always had a master. Even if it were that bastard, Ahzrukhal. He had merely brushed off the girl's confession, propped himself on a rock, and began his first of many nightly lookouts. She had attempted to broach the subject a few times since then, but was always met with his cold shoulder. For the time being, she had let it go.

Staring at her now, Charon wondered if he wanted to be free. Yes, Noel was too naïve for her own good, and yes, she was outright irritating at times, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he enjoyed being with her. It rattled him to the core, to find himself drawn to this new owner, but he couldn't help it. Her sunny attitude, her warmth with others, and the kindness that she showed him, it made him want to stay by her side. She never treated him like a fucking monster and he loved it. Being granted freedom now, after years of doing that asshole Ahzrukhal's dirty work, seemed a twisted punishment.

Suddenly Charon became aware of the fact that he stood in the doorway of their Megaton house, lost in thought as he watched his new master's alabaster face. He grumbled and cleared his throat, noting the sly smile on Noel's lips and the way her tongue touched her teeth as she teased him. "Lost in thought but not gonna tell me, huh? I see how it is." As she brushed past, Charon drew in a deep breath, trying to hold the scent of her in him. He let it out slowly, embarrassed at his own behavior, and followed after her. "Bye Dogmeat! Bye Wadsworth! Be good, I love you!" she called as she turned around to wave her farewells. As she stepped into the light of the early morning, the daybreak glinting off her cheeks, Charon couldn't help but feel himself further pulled by his master's beauty. Suddenly he knew why she unnerved him as she did. The thought made him sick to his stomach.


	2. Chapter 2

She wanted to go to Rivet City. She had managed to make her way into D.C. and find Three Dog by herself (Charon would give his left hand to someone who could figure that shit out), but Rivet City would be a bit different. He'd seen Noel handle mole rats, raiders, and even the occasional feral ghoul (those fuckers), but making her way to Rivet City would involve a lot more… muscle. There were super mutants all through those goddamn tunnels. And there were plenty of them. Looking back on it, Charon felt almost relieved that she had bought his contract off that son of a bitch Ahzrukhal, if only so that she didn't have to venture into the metros alone anymore. The thought of her making her way underground without him… well, it was like taping a great target to her belly and putting flashing lights around her neck while a loudspeaker blared, "Fresh meat! Come and get it!"

It surprised him at first (though he'd acclimated to it during their months together), but Noel tended to be uncharacteristically quiet as they ventured through the wastes. She was conscious of her environment, alert, and always had her rifle at the ready. Thankfully Charon had been able to switch her from the 10mm to a much more handy, and dangerous, Chinese assault rifle. Still, it was as though his new master couldn't stay serious for very long. After several minutes of methodological journeying, she would quickly spin around, smile at Charon, and then resume her lead. The action had always made Charon uneasy. He hated catching that small glimpse of her radiant face beaming at him. He hated himself more for wishing that she would do it more often. Noel had told him once that she just liked to make sure he was still there. It was a security thing she had said. _Stupid girl_, Charon had thought, _it's not as though you can't hear me right behind you._ Yet even now, he wished that he could walk silently, if only to see her wheel around, frightened, hoping that he was still behind her.

Charon was alarmed at how often he felt his mind wander to thoughts of his new master. He had previously been so precise, so controlled. Now, he was fighting a battle which was increasingly more difficult day by day – keeping focused on the task at hand. He wasn't used to extraneous thoughts distracting him from his duties, and was perturbed at the nature from which these trespassing thoughts centered. More and more he caught himself staring at his master. He wondered what she was thinking, where the smile on her blush lips came from, how her ivory skin would feel under his calloused hands. He would wander again and again, and would snap himself into place, only to be lost in those same thoughts almost immediately afterwards. When she looked into his eyes he was thankful for being a ghoul. Having Noel see him blush would be too much for even Charon to handle.

Still, he thought, it wasn't as though he were crazy. Noel was a sight to look at. Not like those other waste rats, or even other ghouls. Charon may have lived in Underworld, but he still preferred the company of his right hand to that of Underworld's female occupants. He wasn't a racist by any means, but he knew what ghouls were (resilient and familial) and knew what they were not (sexy by any means of the word). Most ghouls couldn't help but look at the humans they came across without some deep sense of longing. Humans reminded them of what they used to be, what they used to feel like. Pictures of pre-war human pinup girls and the stories that accompanied them (real or fictitious) were part of the daily rhetoric back in the Ninth Circle. When Noel had wandered into Underworld she had set more than a few ghoul tongues panting.

With a pang of jealously, Charon realized that he'd seen that look of longing, of want, in humans as well. Noel was downright pretty, though she didn't know it (or didn't act on it if she did know). She was petite, had a slender beautiful face with eyes that beamed and a smile that melted you right where you stood. Her light strawberry hair was soft and silky, and even tucked back it looked picturesque. And her body – God, don't even start him on her body. More than a few of his errant thoughts had involved tracing the outline of her tight form with his sturdy fingers. Charon had been able to ignore the looks of lust he'd seen emanating from the men they crossed paths with, but Noel herself seemed completely unaware of the effect she had on others, including himself. As for Charon, he'd wanted to stab each one of those human horn dogs in their perfect smooth foreheads. He realized now why he had felt that way. For all their lack of experience, their fragility, and their ignorance, they had something that he did not – a body that Noel might long for herself.

He shook his head as he followed Noel's path towards the D.C. ruins. The stubborn part of him refused to acknowledge this attraction to his new master. When he found his thoughts obsessing over Noel he would concentrate on her qualities that he found irksome. The way she laughed, full-mouthed and full-bodied, unlike anyone else in the wastes. The way she stuck out so damn much, wherever she went. The way she crinkled her nose at something distasteful. The way she looked at him expectantly. The problem was, the more he tried to focus on her flaws, the more he began thinking that her flaws in and of themselves were… nice.

_Ugh_, Charon thought. He'd been doing it again. _This goddamn kid_. The fact that he was even letting his mind imagine any possibility with the girl was driving him more crazy than you can believe. He was a ghoul, a zombie, and she was a goddamn princess of the vault. She would never want anything more from him than his shotgun and his back for hauling loot and shit across the D.C. wastes. _Still_, he found his thoughts wandering again, _she sure beats those goddamn pinup pictures on a lonely night._

He stopped dead in his tracks as he almost bumped into his master. She had pulled the spin-around move again, only to find him staring at nothing in particular. The sight had so shocked the girl that she stood, hands on hips, in a mock look of annoyance. Her benevolent smile, velvet and liquid smooth, gave her amusement away. Charon, irritated at his thoughtlessness, stared hard at his master. His carelessness could have gotten them killed. What if something happened? He had a better eye than she did and, despite the fact that they were mostly decayed, his ears worked better too. Something could have snuck up on them and he never would have known it! His job was to protect her, and he wasn't doing it damn it!

Charon felt his eyes harden over and grow cold as Noel, unfettered and smiling slyly, returned his stare. "My apologies," he said gruffly. "I was not being cautious. It will not happen again."

"Charon!" Noel said, almost laughing now, "So you weren't paying attention for one minute. So what? Quite frankly I'm surprised that I even caught you." Charon watched her blue eyes playfully going over his features. Her wide smile softened into a more serious one and her voice took on a matured tone. "Don't worry about it, and don't beat yourself up over it. After all, you're only human." She reached for him, gripping him on his dark Talon armor (she had patched it up and given it to him almost as soon as she got it. _Looks good on you_, she had said approvingly). She pulled his arm closer to her as she began walking backwards through the wastelands, her amused smile still on her face. "Come on," she said, and her hands trailed down his forearms to his fingers, then fingertips, before falling away. "We've a ways to go yet."

Charon followed close behind, trying not to relive how her fingers had felt on his own, trying to ignore the rush of blood that flushed beneath his skin. _Only human_, he thought. _Girlie, if you only knew_.


	3. Chapter 3

They'd been on the trail to Rivet City for close to a week now. Charon was surprised at how quickly his obsession with Noel was growing, but after that incident of carelessness in the wastes (which Charon was absolutely _not_ letting himself live down) he had been able to more or less put thoughts of his new master into the farthest recesses of his brain. It made him sick to know that he was falling for her. It sickened him even more that he still had the audacity left in him to hope. During the day he was the old Charon that he knew and understood: strong, stealthy, and ever-vigilant. But at night, well, that was the compromise that Charon made with himself. If he could put all thoughts of Noel from his mind during the day he would surrender himself to them at night. He became a new, confused, and forever conflicted Charon when the sun went down. It was as she slept that Charon would imagine what her shapely figure would feel like beneath him. He would wonder about the taste of her mouth on his. He would imagine hearing her pant his name in his ear. Charon tried to convince himself that he _had_ to do this, to keep them both safe during the day, and to keep _him _from going absolutely insane in the meantime. Even in his dreams he was preoccupied with the girl. Yet each morning, almost as soon as he woke up, he would resolve to steel his nerves against thoughts of Noel, and would once again resume the role of bodyguard.

If Noel noticed any differences in Charon she kept it to herself. The nearer they got to Rivet City, the more excited she became. Her giddiness was almost electric. "Finally," she had told Charon, "I'll get to see my dad. I feel like I haven't seen him in ages." His chest ached to see the smile on her face.

Charon had never pried into Noel's history. He didn't understand why the girl and her dad weren't together. It didn't take a fucking genius to see that Noel needed help out here – or at least, _had_ needed help out here. With her trusting bright eyes and tendency to smile too big and too often, she had easy target written all over her. But in the short time that they'd been together, Noel had matured into a wastelander who could hold her own – better than your standard town waste, at least. Sometimes she struggled to retain her composure in a firefight, and God only knows how many land mines she had set off without even knowing they were there, but at least she was _improving_. Charon had tutored the girl from the beginning, which had initially struck him as odd. He hadn't given two shits about any of his other "employers" and found himself questioning his own behavior when he pointed out different enemy tracks, good places to hide, and how each goddamn gun needed to be handled differently. Back then he hadn't understood it, but now – now he had the conscious knowledge of why he ever cared about the girl to begin with. Seemed he'd been liking her for longer than he thought.

Still, he didn't ask why her dad had left, and didn't ask why it was so fucking important that she find him in the first place. Noel had volunteered enough about herself for him to know that she used to live in a vault (_no shit_, he remembered thinking) and that her dad had bailed out for reasons unknown. Shortly thereafter she was kicked out to follow suit. Charon knew that this James fellow, Noel's dad, was some sort of a hot shot scientist. He could gather that from Three Dog's asinine "newsflashes" over the Galaxy radio waves. It wasn't Charon's place to question. She could order him to pour turpentine over a box full of puppies and burn them alive and, well shit – he'd have to do it. Escorting her to Rivet City seemed like an easy command to follow.

He supposed that the key word there was _seemed_. They'd been headed for Rivet City for what felt like ages now and had gotten lost more times than he could count. Every time they popped their heads out of a metro tunnel he felt like a goddamn game of whack-a-radroach. He never saw the big fucking ship that was supposed to be Rivet City – only waste, rubble, ugly-ass mutants, and the occasional exploding baby carriage. Some sick fucker's idea of a joke.

He couldn't even remember the name of the tunnel that they were in now. All he knew was that it was packed full of feral ghouls, which was a hell of a lot easier to deal with than those goddamn super mutants. Noel's compass showed that they were heading south, which he _guessed_ was a good thing, but these tunnels had a way of turning you around so bad you couldn't tell your head from your ass. Despite everything – the countless wrong turns, the frequent run-ins with raider baddies, the fucking bear traps (_who the hell set those goddamn things anyway?_) – Noel retained her optimism and her excitement. Her bright toothy smile shone through the murky tunnels.

"They say that Rivet City is supposed to be the most highly guarded and securest human fortification in the D.C. wastelands," she had started up one night as they sat around a small fire in the tunnels. "It's supposed to be an absolute behemoth of a town. I just know that's where dad would go." She had a dreamy look in her eyes as she talked, her long thin fingers delicately stroking the grip of her rifle. She set her mouth to a fine line as she looked at her companion. "I don't suppose you know much about Rivet City, do you Charon?"

Charon had looked away immediately, trying to refrain from making eye contact with his master. "It's full of smoothskins." He wiped a calloused hand across his forehead, his insides squirming from the act of conversing with Noel. "I don't mess with them and they don't mess with me."

Noel smiled sadly. Charon could feel her eyes intently taking in his features. "No," she had said softly. "I suppose you wouldn't have a need to go there."

From the corner of his eye he saw her look away into the darkness of the tunnels. He ventured a look back as she suddenly turned her head, her spirit newly refreshed and smiling, his eyes caught on hers. Even in the gloom they glittered as she spoke.

"Charon! I want to teach you that not all smoothskins are bad. I mean…" her voice trailed off and her eyes looked down before flicking back towards him. "I mean," she continued, "You're a nice person, and there are definitely nice ghouls out there. It'd be good if ghouls and humans could get along."

She perked up and pushed him playfully on the knee. "You could be an ambassador of sorts. Imagine! Working relations between humans and ghouls!" She was getting herself excited now, "Just think! The super mutants don't bother you ghouls, and neither do the ferals. Ghouls could live in D.C. and garner what resources there have to be found in the city, while humans…" she had her hand on his knee and was shaking it – trying to force some excitement about the idea into him, "…humans, why we could live on the outskirts and harvest what resources we could find there. Then we could have the best of both worlds! What do you think?"

Her cheery face and sudden all-too-optimistic attitude was too much for Charon to handle. He looked away and stifled a chuckle with a hand over his mouth before daring to respond.

Her positivity was downright contagious. Charon found himself trying not to smile as he forced out an answer. "I'm not sure that would work. Most of your kind want to shoot us on sight. We do not take kindly to that sort of thing." His answer sounded automatic, his voice distant, as even now he looked into the barren darkness, trying not to imagine his thick arms cradling Noel in a hug, feeling her infectious smile pressed against his chest.

But Noel had been kind. "Well," she responded, giving Charon's knee a final tap before hugging her own to her chest, "I think it's kind of a good idea. Silly maybe, but good. It needs some work for sure, but let's not take it off the table entirely, okay?"

Charon had clenched his jaw as he swallowed a smile and given the smallest of nods. From the corner of his eye he had watched as she curled into a corner near the fire, her eyes still on him through the darkness.

Minutes passed. He had still felt her eyes on his form when she spoke softly. "It's a silly idea. I've got a lot to learn, I know, but I still think you'd be a great ambassador." Another minute and a soft yawn later her small voice spoke in the darkness. "Goodnight Charon."

She had fallen asleep. He remembered letting his guard down then. _She thinks I'm a nice person,_ he thought as he watched her slow, steady breathing through the flickering fire. Then again, as it happened every night now, he felt his heart wrenching in his chest. The pressure made it that much harder to breathe and Charon felt like moaning into the darkness. _She's only a goddamn kid._ He shook his own head with disgust, took one last scan of the tunnels around them and forced himself down for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Charon had never been so goddamn happy to see a smoothskin city in all his life. When he emerged from the Anacostia Crossing station and saw the big fucking ship they'd been looking for he practically let out a whoop. He stepped out first, crouching low and shielding his eyes from the sun they hadn't seen in days. He began sensing the area around them. So far, so good. None of the big uglies seemed to be lurking around the station or the city.

Noel stood in the shadows of the entrance. Charon had indicated with his hand for her to wait as he scoped out the area. With a single fluid movement, he flicked his hand for her to join him. She stepped behind him quickly, her hands still gripping her rifle, but her face was visibly relieved. Charon watched as she stepped past him and began surveying the area. She let her rifle fall to her side as she saw the ship in front of them, her light hair catching the breeze they hadn't felt for a week. She turned around, a grin on her dusty face, her pink cheeks glowing through the grime. She holstered her weapon and practically ran back to Charon, her light steps barely audible on the gravel. He was just about to rebuke her on her sudden (and dangerous) drop in guard when she did something totally unexpected.

She fucking hugged him.

It wasn't _just_ that she hugged him (though that'd have been enough to fluster Charon in and of itself), it was that she positively _threw _herself onto him.

Charon felt himself stagger back under her weight. His trained hands immediately went to remove the arms that clung tightly around his neck. He needed to get her away from him. He needed his gun, and goddamn it, she needed to be holding hers too. He was irritated, and fucking pissed, but when he touched her skin, he just couldn't. Without thinking, without even realizing it, he felt himself give into her. He bent his head down to touch hers and a soft groan escaped his lips. His muscled arms wrapped around her slender body, his strong fingers gripping her ribs and waist and clutching them against his own. His whole body seemed to cave to her touch. His brain didn't seem to work anymore. The whole world could be on fire now and he never would have fucking known it.

Noel broke away first, but only as far as Charon's locked arms would allow. They separated at the chest so that she could look into his eyes. Her arms slid down his chest and her delicate fingers pulled lightly on the nape of his neck as she spoke. "I can't believe we're here!" She looked around excitedly, taking in the rubble around them, her eyes brimming over with energy. Charon was numb. Unable to speak, feel, or act, only knowing that he wanted to keep holding her.

"Can you believe it?" She flushed, bringing her aqua blue eyes back to Charon's. "Thank you so so much for getting us out of those tunnels alive. I was so sick of the dark and the ugly and now… now we're finally here."

She didn't seem to care that they were still touching. She didn't seem to notice Charon's firm grip on her body. But suddenly Charon was acutely aware of himself. He stepped back quickly, removing himself from his master. Surprised at himself, he concentrated his efforts on keeping a straight face. With a knuckled hand pressed firmly against his mouth he stared at the broken concrete by her feet, refusing to meet the girl's face.

After a moment of silence (what felt like a lifetime to Charon who felt his whole body go hot with guilt and shame over his loss of control yet again), Noel spoke. Try as he might to ignore her, he couldn't help but register the hurt in her voice.

"I…I'm sorry," she stammered, "I don't know what came over me." She backed away, hands behind her body. "It… it won't happen again, okay?"

Charon looked at her. The expression on her face made him want to die. Her big liquid eyes were staring right at him. Her head was dropped but her eyes were hopeful. _She looks like a kicked puppy_, thought Charon. _Fuck me for putting that look on her face_.

He shot his eyes to the ground straight away. Unable to look at the hurt on her and not knowing what else to do, he heard himself mutter something incoherent. He hoped it would be enough for her to drop him from that painful stare.

No such luck. With a small sense of terror he noticed her feet coming closer to where he stood. His eyes widened as he kept them concentrated on the ground. His other senses were frantically trying to pick up on any clues that might shed some light on what she was doing.

Suddenly she spoke. Her voice was no longer a whimper, but forceful and rushed. "No. No it is not okay." She reached out to grip Charon's chin and lifted it to meet her eyes. "You look at me," she demanded.

Charon obeyed, his filmy eyes unblinking and expressionless. He saw her eyebrows, drawn together as she touched him, begin to soften as her doe eyes took in his. All playfulness was gone from her face, replaced by a small wounded begging.

"Tell me what's wrong," she commanded, her voice soft and hurt. "I said I was sorry and I am. I'm sorry for touching you, okay?" Her fingers kept their place on his face, cupping his jaw and chin. "Please," she pleaded, "please say that you're okay."

Charon cleared his throat, painfully aware of how amazing her soft hand felt on his face, trying not to play back the image of her rushing towards him for that hug that felt so damn good.

"I am fine." He said mechanically. "But you are still touching me."

"Oh," she gasped, pulling her hand away from him. She blushed as she nervously bit her lip in a smile. "I'm sorry." Her eyes blinked quickly, fluttering with anxious energy. "I'll try and be more careful."

Charon nodded curtly, simultaneously happy and miserable that his body was his own once again. He pushed his eyes past hers onto the warship that was Rivet City. He flicked his face towards the boat, which thankfully got her to turn around and free him from her stare.

"Enough of this," he said, hating how rough the words sounded in his ears. "Your city is right there. Let us get to it before something finds us." He heard a faint murmur of agreement as Noel began to walk, oblivious to the fact that she had momentarily shattered his every last defense. He followed in his master's footsteps, clutching his shotgun too-tightly to his chest, trying not to think about her tight white body pressed up against his dark form. His brain was numb with what had happened, though he knew that tonight he would be repeating the memory over and over again – each time adding a touch of something he knew he wanted; a kiss, a touch. Funny, that something as simple as a hug from the girl could send him spiraling into a fucking frenzy.

They climbed the metal stairs to reach the city's intercom in silence. Noel didn't turn around to check on him once, and seemed focused on neither speaking to nor looking at her guard. _Suits me fine_, Charon thought. _It's easier this way_. A small part of himself found it hoping that she'd find her father here and be done with him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stand this.

She pushed the intercom button and a voice buzzed through the speaker. The voice on the other end was young, male, and spoke too harshly. Charon understood it to reveal a person who tried to lead, but was ultimately insecure – like an animal that puffed up to make itself look bigger.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

Noel's response was short and to the point. She'd quickly learned not to give away too much of herself during her short stint in the wastes.

"I'm looking for Doctor Li. I was told I can find her here." Three Dog had indeed told them both that James had headed for Rivet City to speak with this Doctor Li. Charon hoped that the jockey's intel was as sharp as his tongue.

There was hesitation from the other line. The voice had lost some ring of authority when it returned seconds later. "What do you need from Doctor Li?"

"I need to speak with her about…" she paused. _Don't stop_, Charon thought angrily, _he'll know you're not telling him the whole truth_. "A man," she continued, "a man who came through here recently."

There was another moment's silence before the voice returned. "Step back. I'm swinging the bridge across."

Both master and guard obeyed as they watched the heavy metal bridge extend towards their platform. _No wonder this place is so safe_, Charon thought. _Nothing can get in or out. Better hope there's no leak in that tub or they're all fucked._

When the bridge had settled the duo walked across gingerly. They were greeted with a guard brandishing an assault rifle on the other end.

"Welcome to Rivet City. Don't pull any shit here. Got that?"


	5. Chapter 5

She had not spoken to him once since they entered the city. She was acting too strangely for Charon to understand. Her actions were quicker than normal, hurried and unnecessarily forceful and Charon couldn't tell whether his master was angry or frustrated. Noel had led him to Doctor Li's science lab almost immediately after they entered Rivet City. She had asked the security officer at the gate (_Harkness_, Charon remembered) where Li could be found and had bolted towards the mid- level deck at once. Noel's silence put Charon on edge. Normally whenever they entered a new city she would practically cling to him, pointing out all the oddities she saw, speaking excitedly about the new sights, like a tourist. Remembering it now Charon thought it adorable but stupid. Adorable because she just looked so damn cute. Stupid because, well hell, anyone could tell that she wasn't _from here_.

Charon was even more cautious of his own behavior, keeping distance from his master and making it a point not to speak to or look at any of the Rivet City assholes. (He wished he received the same treatment from them. Instead they seemed bent on both pointing and staring like he was a fucking freak show and responding to his master's questions with unabashed dickishness.) He didn't want to do anything now to step on her toes. He knew she was hurting inside. First he had brushed off her embrace outside the city (though he didn't know why _that_ made her upset), then they had found Doctor Li, only to be told once again that James had already left.

The look on her face had been one of pure shock. She was practically crying as she probed Li with questions on her father's whereabouts. Charon had felt so damn bad for her. He wanted to wring the doctor's neck and throw her against a wall, screaming at her for letting him go. Why had she let James saunter out of here? Alone of all things! And to the Jefferson Memorial?! The place was little more than a super mutant hive.

Instead, Charon simply stood, a stony look etched on his face. His breathing was heavy as he registered what the doctor's words were doing to his master. Each time the girl spoke she sounded smaller and smaller. It was as though her spirit was shrinking right before him. Charon wished more than anything else that they'd never got lost in the tunnels and that they had made it here in time. James going to Jefferson Memorial by himself? He had been a scientist, not a soldier – going there alone was a death sentence.

At the end of their heart-shattering conversation, Noel had done something that truly made him proud. He smiled, unashamed, as he heard her utter the words, _"Then I guess we'll just have to go there and get him."_ If there was anything he knew about his master it was that she _never _fucking gave up. It was one of her most endearing (and most annoying) qualities. But right now, he felt nothing but pleasure and pride from his master's response. In that moment he became newly devoted to her and her cause.

The interaction had left his master drained. Her face was pale and ashen, her bright eyes dulled, as they made their way through the narrow metal corridors of the city. Charon could tell that she was absolutely crushed. He wished he knew what to do for her. Not knowing how to act, he simply followed – a silent shadow as she weaved her way through this labyrinth of a city. He would do whatever she wanted him to do, but right now she wasn't speaking to him at all.

Noel was somber as she booked a room in the Weatherly Hotel. Doctor Li had vigorously advised against Noel going to the Jefferson Memorial after James, but upon seeing her determination, suggested that if the girl _had_ to go that they wait until morning at least. Noel had nodded, a defeated look on her face, as she asked for directions.

The woman who managed the desk, Vera Weatherly, had looked absolutely horrified when Charon followed his master into the hotel. Her fright reached a crescendo as Noel booked a room for the two wanderers to share together. In their early days, Noel had always bought separate rooms for the both of them. Charon however, would never stay in his own, preferring to wait outside her door, keeping guard over his master. Noel had given up wasting the caps, but had told Charon that if he refused to sleep in his own room, he would at least stay _inside _of hers, rather than sleep against a closed door. With disgust, Charon watched as the hostess pulled Noel to a dark corner, her head bent towards his master's as she whispered hurriedly into her ear.

"Are you sure dear?" Vera had said, glancing, horrified, back at Charon. She spoke low, attempting to keep the ghoul from overhearing their conversation. Unbeknownst to her, Charon's years of stealth and tracking had made him more perceptive than other humans (or ghouls, for that matter), and he could hear every fucking word.

"Dear, it's not safe," she had continued. "Do you know him? I mean, ghouls can turn on you in an instant. They're like animals." Charon felt himself snarl at the woman, a growl developing at the base of his throat. He may not look human, but he wasn't fucking rabid either.

Suddenly Vera had a revelation. She gripped Noel's arm. Her face was intense as her voice lowered even further. "Is he hurting you? We have a lot of security here, and my hand to God if he's touched you, you let me know and I swear… If he's forcing you to do this you give me some sort of a sign right now…"

Noel had politely pushed Vera off. She thanked Vera for her concern and murmured something about it being okay. Then she turned her back to the hostess and walked into the bedroom without waiting for a response. Charon loyally followed, angry, clenching his teeth together so tight that his jaw ached.

Now they sat in the room (or rather, _she_ sat while Charon stood in his normal position by the door), not talking and not looking at each other. Occasionally he would notice Noel wiping the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her armored vault suit. (Why she gave him the better armor he never understood. He supposed that being in the 101 getup was like retaining a piece of her former life.) Noel's tears, coupled with the buildup of dirt and grime from their week in the wastes and tunnels, left tracks of cleared skin as she wiped. He wanted to trace the lines on her face with his fingers, to kiss the salty tears from her eyes, but he didn't know how to react or what to do. Charon was experienced for sure – sniping, hunting, killing, surviving – but comforting a crying girl? He was completely out of his element. Instead he simply stood and focused on keeping his breathing slow and even. He counted seconds in his head, focused on the minor movements of his taught stomach as he inhaled, and tried to remove from mind his anger at Vera and the awkwardness with Noel.

Aside from sleeping, Noel had never gone this long without talking to him. Hours passed in the small space and the silence remained unbroken. Charon knew that the silence was bothering her more than him. Noel had always treated him like a companion and a friend. He knew that she needed support now, more than ever, yet she refused to even look at him. Charon, however, was not about to break the silence. _She will do that when she's ready_, he thought.

Another hour passed before Noel finally spoke. He watched her, studying the features he ordinarily couldn't bring himself to look at. It was clear that she had been tumbling the words about in her head for quite some time, delicately planning the dialogue she would need. Her words were rehearsed, but her delivery was clear and steady.

"I'm not mad at you," she began, "I'm mad at the fact that my dad's not here anymore, and I'm worried about him." Her voice cracked and her chin began quivering, "I… I don't even know if he's alive anymore." She sniffled, running her fingers underneath her nose and dabbing at her eyes again, but she didn't seem to be crying anymore.

She cleared her throat and composed herself before continuing. "I'm not mad at you," she repeated, "but I _am_ upset and frustrated." She stopped herself as she watched Charon standing in the doorway. Her voice was soft and sincere as she spoke to him. "Please sit, Charon. You've been walking all day and I know that even you get tired."

Charon said nothing, but kept his eyes on hers as he slumped down onto the floor. The past few days he had done everything in his power to refrain from looking directly at his master. Now he made sure that his eyes locked onto hers, wanting her to know that she had his full attention.

Noel opened her mouth as she watched him sit on the cold metal floor. She started to say something (no doubt about finding a more comfortable spot or something along those lines), but she stopped herself. Instead she pressed her lips together in a sad way and simply watched him for a moment before continuing.

"I'm upset at myself," she began, "for touching you and making you uncomfortable." She leaned forward from where she sat on the corner of the bed to get closer to her guard. "Do you understand? I'm upset at myself, not at you."

Charon said nothing.

With a sigh, she continued. "I'm frustrated too, and this time it _is_ because of you. I know that you're mad at me. (Charon was stunned by this. W_here did she get that idea from?)_ But you need to understand. I won't know not to do certain things that make you upset or make you uncomfortable unless you _tell_ me. You got it?"

"I am not mad at you," he said almost immediately.

Noel's eyebrows raised at his quick response. The tiniest smile formed on her pretty face as she looked at him. After many awkward seconds (or at least, they felt awkward as shit to Charon) her smile grew.

"I don't think you answered my question," she teased.

Charon felt his eyes shift quickly to the side as he replayed the last minute in his mind. Had there even _been_ a question in there? All he knows is that she thought he was mad at her, and it wasn't true. It wasn't true goddamn it. It wouldn't ever be true. He couldn't be mad. Not at her.

Noel smiled at him, the warmth returning to her face. "I said that you needed to tell me when I do something that makes you mad – or uncomfortable rather," she added hurriedly correcting herself. "Can you do this?"

He looked hard at his master, remembering the way she talked, the way she smiled, the small glances that she would throw his way that sent shivers down his fucking spine. All of the millions of things that she did each day that made him uncomfortable as hell with want of her. Charon swallowed hard before he answered.

"I will try."

Noel smiled down on him, unabashed, her upbeat spirit slowly returning. "Charon…" she began. He knew she was prodding him now by the tone her voice was taking. "Charon, are you uncomfortable right now? Right this minute, with me?"

Charon gritted his teeth. He couldn't lie to his employer any more than he could disobey her. Whoever held his contract had a special power over him that even he didn't understand. He had tried to resist in the past, only to suffer actual physical pain from the deed. It was as though his body was literally owned by his master, and it tortured him whenever Charon's mind won over it in an act of disobedience.

He had to answer honestly. Through clenched teeth he uttered, "Yes."

Noel, curious now, leaned even closer. Her slick pink lips curled up in a smile.

"Why?"

Embarrassed, and feeling as though he was being toyed with, he answered. His voice sounded rougher than he would have wished it, but he supposed it couldn't be helped.

"Because you are asking me to speak about my feelings. I do not like it."

Noel laughed softly to herself. "Fine, fine. I'll let it go for now." She pushed herself back on the bed so that her back was against the wall. She pat the empty space on the bed to her left. "But in return, will you _please _get off the floor and join me up here?"

Charon grumbled to himself, attempted to ease the tension from his body as he stood, and crossed the few feet of space that separated them. He took his spot next to her, his back and head resting against the wall, and enjoyed the feeling of the soft mattress beneath him.

Noel's eyes were locked on him. She smiled as she spoke, her teeth beautiful and clean, her mouth oh-so-tempting. "I appreciate that. Thank you."

Charon said nothing, not wanting to add anything more to this strained evening if at all possible. Noel looked pleased with herself and finally appeared to be comfortable again – the normal Noel. He knew that in just a little bit she would be sound asleep. He would pick her up, tuck her into bed, and resume his spot on the floor. He needed that now. This whole day had been too much to take in. He needed the escape that came with a good night's sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Charon woke, angry with himself. Sleep hadn't been an escape. It'd been a fucking nightmare. Yesterday had been one of the most confusing and exhausting days of his life. He had hoped for a dreamless night that would grant him at least six hours of nothingness – no thinking and no feeling. It would have been perfect.

It's what he'd hoped for, not what he'd got. Instead Charon's sleep was a collage consisting of all the thoughts and feelings he had for Noel that drove him so fucking hot and crazy during the day. That, plus some extras – fantasies and desires that he hated to acknowledge were added to the mix, courtesy of his subconscious. Charon knew it would make his struggle with temptation today that much worse.

Charon sat up in the corner of the room that he and Noel shared at the Weatherly Hotel. He cradled his head in his hands as he silently thrashed it back and forth like an animal possessed. It was as though he were trying to shake out all memories of his dream-filled sleep. He stopped, suddenly scared, wondering if she'd woken up. He looked up to see the form of his sleeping master in the darkened room, small and fragile on the bed. He couldn't see her face, but he could make out her slow rhythmic breathing from beneath the sheet. Good. She was still asleep.

He lay back down, his armor uncomfortable against the ship's metal floor. With a deep exhale he found himself trying to savor the flavors of last night's dream. He rubbed his coarse hands over his face as his daily struggle began anew – trying to forget, yet delighting in his fantasies of the girl. He lifted his head off the floor, stealing one final peek at the girl before deciding to succumb to his basic desires. He would keep the images from last night captive, going over them again and again, until his master awoke.

Charon felt like a fucking caged animal, constantly wanting to escape the thoughts, knowing that he couldn't. Last night's dream had been particularly enticing. The catalyst of the dream came, of course, from his interaction with the girl outside Rivet City. In his dream she had hugged him as she did then and he had melted from her touch. Yet instead of allowing her to break from him, he had lowered his head and found her mouth with his own. He remembered feeling his rough lips on her smooth ivory skin and hearing her sharp fluttery breaths as he kissed her long and hard. She was kissing him back to his very pleasant surprise, her fingers digging into his armor. She had closed her eyes but he kept his open, engrossed by the way her skin glowed like the moon, watching as her jaw widened to let him slip his tongue into her mouth. He had closed his eyes then and even in his dream he knew he felt so fucking good he thought he could die.

His tongue had met with hers and she tasted too damn good for words. He was eating up the sweetness of her when suddenly, inexplicably, they were back in Megaton. He was carrying her to the lone bedroom upstairs, cradling her like a child with their mouths still locked together, wrestling with their tongues to pull more of one another inside of themselves. Dogmeat and the butler were gone. He had put her on the bed and pressed himself down on top of her, grinding his body against hers, pants and moans escaping from them both. Her small hands and his large ones, suddenly clumsy and increasingly desperate, crazed with need, had fumbled with the belts and buckles on his armor. She returned her hands to his face, urging more of his tongue into her mouth, whimpering with pleasure as it was received. It had seemed like this couldn't happen fast enough – they had both been waiting too long. He wanted this so badly it hurt. They weren't talking or thinking now, only doing and _fuck _it felt good.

He woke with a start. Shit, he hadn't even remembered falling back asleep. He blinked quickly and wiped the grit from his eyes with his thumbs. He stared at the ceiling and the dozens of rivets, bolts, and screws on its surface that kept the place together. Charon felt like he couldn't have been sleeping that long – only a matter of minutes, right?

He lifted his head slowly, propping himself up on sturdy arms. One look at the empty bed told him that he'd been sleeping for longer than he thought. With a fatigued grunt he looked around the room. Noel was nowhere to be seen. He got up with a groan, straightening his uniform and nestling his shotgun between his shoulder blades. He smoothed down the front of his pants, checking to be sure that his shit was in its place before setting off to find his master. _Wouldn't want her to see that_, he thought. Noel rarely disappeared from him, and when she did it was generally to clean herself or use the bathroom. It made him feel uneasy to be separated from her. He wondered if she felt likewise.

Charon caught up with her just outside the door. She was stepping out of an empty room with a wet rag in hand. Her face had been cleaned from the layers of dust that had gathered from the road. It was bright and polished and she looked positively stunning with her hair pulled back and her large eyes finding his with a smile and a sigh. Charon swallowed. It was like holding a juicy steak, thick and dripping, in front of a starving dog. As per usual, he found himself staring intently at the floor to avoid the sight of her.

Noel smiled and offered him a clean (well, clean_er_) rag to wash up with. "Good morning Charon," she said in a sing-song voice. "We're heading for the Jefferson Memorial just as soon as you're ready. I'm worried about my dad but I feel it in my gut. I know that he's alive and well, wherever he is."

Charon took the rag without looking up. Remembering his promise from the other day he spoke up. "I feel uncomfortable when you are not with me," he said, his gravelly voice sounding oddly mechanical in his ears. Only after the words came out did he realize how strikingly true they were.

This realization tripped him up a bit. He coughed and stumbled on his words as he spoke again, embarrassed. "In the future, please do not leave without letting me know where you are going."

Noel smiled and moved closer to him. She bent over and ducked to half his towering size, looking up lightheartedly so that he found himself staring at her face. She smiled, her tongue licked her lips before she spoke.

"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" She waited for a response, to which she received nothing but his hardened glare. "Friends communicate with each other, Charon. I feel like that's what we need to work on. Com-mun-i-ca-tion. As much as I might try, I can't read your mind!"

_Thank God for that_, Charon thought.

"In any case, thank you for your effort – for letting me know what you're thinking. And yes, (she curtsied as well as she could while being bent over) I will let you know where I'm going in the future. But in my defense, you were asleep and you looked too happy for me to wake you up."

Charon felt himself redden at that but pushed the thought aside and spoke quickly before she tried to head back into their room.

"I do not care if I'm sleeping. I want for you to wake me."

Noel had straightened herself out and was half-turned away from him. She shook her head with pretend irritation. "Charon," she sighed, "you're impossible, do you know that? I'm with you for more or less every second of every day for goodness sakes."

She giggled and moved back to him, ducking low as he again forced his eyes to the floor of the ship. "Fine, fine fine. I'll wake you up and keep you up to date and account for every second that I'm not with you." She held up her hand, palm facing towards him. "I promise."

Charon heard himself grumble an agreement when she added, "BUT, _you_ have to promise me something in return."

He looked at her, wary of what could be churning in that mischievous head.

She grinned at him, her lips looked delicious and soft. "_You_ have to promise that you'll look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you." She laughed. "Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. You've got me practically on my hands and knees just to get you to look at my face. And don't even pretend to act like you don't know what I'm talking about!" She added quickly when he began to turn his head away once more. "You haven't looked at me for more than a minute this whole week! Don't pretend it's not true," she teased.

Charon felt himself growling at her, but she only waved him off and laughed. "Promise me," she demanded. Surely she must be able to see the power she had over him! Charon nodded, leveling his head and watching as she turned away from him.

"I promise," he said softly, staring after her with a dull ache as she slowly disappeared back into the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

They made their way towards the Jefferson Memorial with the utmost caution. Sometimes when they were in a particularly barren part of the wastes, Noel would flip on her Pip-boy radio and they'd travel tuned in to whatever pre-war jazz suited Three Dog's fancy that day. This area of the wastes, on the other hand, was downright sick with super mutant infestation, and while they may have ignored Charon, they didn't take kindly to his pretty human companion. The Pip-boy stayed silent. They'd have to be careful here.

Luckily enough, the Jefferson Memorial was only a short walk along the water from Rivet City. They had spotted two super mutants from afar (or rather, Charon had spotted them), and were able to deal with the threat without too much of an issue. Charon had motioned for Noel to break out the sniper rifle – incredibly powerful, but not used often as .308 ammo was a bitch to find. He loved watching her snipe the baddies from a distance. She was pure business as she scoped their surroundings for the mutants, all traces of playfulness and immaturity dissolved from her young face. Behind the sniper rifle she looked like a seasoned pro. Her aim was steady through the long range weapon (steadier than his own, Charon had thought), her vision sharp through the scope, and her trigger-finger sure. The first big ugly she'd nailed with a headshot. Charon had let out a bark of satisfaction. Its companion, a super mutant brute, had taken two shots to the gut before doubling over. They had quickly made their way over to the bodies, scavenged everything worth a cap, and found cover to survey the area ahead.

They crouched their way along a metal catwalk that went along the circumference of the building. There were super mutants scattered all around the goddamn place. The progress was slow, but they were able to keep the damage they received to a minimum by sneaking up on the brutes. About halfway around the catwalk they noticed a strange sight. Charon barely believed his eyes. _A brahmin? On the fucking catwalk_? Then he saw it. The brahmin was being led by two men who started firing into the distance. Following the path of their gunfire he noticed a lone mutant, big and ugly, wielding a super sledge and coming at them faster than he thought the brute could run.

Noel turned back and met Charon's eyes with her own. No words were necessary. He knew what the girl would do. They both stood up at the same time and ran to the travelers' aid, firing at the mutant. Within moments it went down.

They met up with the convoy, a caravan merchant it seemed. Noel, breathless but welcoming, holstered her gun and greeted the traders immediately. Charon grumbled behind her as he continued to scan their surroundings. _Don't let your guard down so readily,_ he thought. _Don't let it down at all until you know you're safe_. But then again, was anyone ever safe in the wastes?

Against his better judgment, Charon followed his master's lead and holstered his shotgun after evaluating that they were safe enough for the time being. She was talking excitedly to the merchant. There was only one it seemed. Charon was able to ascertain that the other was a mercenary by the way he stood, ammunition crisscrossing his chest, arms folded as though daring Charon to pull something. _Ha!_ Charon thought. He must look the exact same way to the merc.

It seemed Charon had missed the beginning of the conversation while he was scanning. He only began to register the merchant's voice mid-sentence.

"…well no, I'm sorry. I haven't seen anyone coming or going from this place." The trader sounded genuinely sympathetic as he scratched his big shaggy head and smiled at Noel. "I don't normally take this route. I guess I know why, huh?" He smiled again, too wide this time. Charon understood this look. He narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to Noel.

Noel smiled politely and tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. "Oh, well thank you anyway."

"Wolfgang," the man interrupted. "Crazy Wolfgang." He motioned behind him. "And this is my caravan. I specialize in the trade of odds, ends, and other unique junk."

"Oh…" Noel dropped her hand to her chest. Honest to a fault, she responded with, "Um… I'm not quite sure how to respond to that."

Crazy Wolfgang laughed, his eyes taking in every inch of the girl's face. "I say it to attract customers. I think it makes my wares sound more… appealing." His thick eyebrows raised at the word, the wide smile still on his face. He reached out to shake the girl's hand like a true gentleman. "And you are?"

Noel offered her hand and Wolfgang took it hungrily in his. "I'm Noel." She motioned behind her, smiling as she caught Charon's unflinching eyes. "And this is my friend, Charon."

Wolfgang's beamed as he bowed down in an overly formal gesture. But instead of simply taking her hand and releasing it, he brought it slowly to his lips and kissed it gently, pulling it painstakingly from his mouth as if in letting go of some valuable treasure, before allowing her to slip it out from his own.

"It is," he said slowly, his voice husky, his dark eyes concentrating on the girl, "an absolute pleasure to meet you."

"Oh…" Obviously taken aback, Noel blushed a bright pink. Jealously, Charon noticed how her skin flushed red near the nape of her neck too. He felt himself baring his teeth behind his sealed mouth against this unwelcome traveler. He noticed too that Wolfgang wasn't exactly an ugly fucker. Rather, he was quite the opposite: rugged, fit, and projecting an air of comfort and security. Charon realized that he most decidedly did not like their new friend.

"My apologies." Wolfgang smiled wide. "I must offer a most sincere thanks for getting us out of that sticky situation earlier. I don't know what we would have done without your help."

Wolfgang's guard rolled his eyes behind them. No doubt they'd seen more of their fair share of super mutants as they went from town to town dealing their wares. It came with the fucking territory after all. He was obviously trying to flatter the girl. Charon wondered if anyone other than himself noticed. Based off Noel and the trader having missed not a beat in the conversation, his guess would be no.

"Oh, it was nothing really," Noel said, her voice suddenly sounding too sweet in Charon's ears. He wished to god that she wouldn't smile as much and wouldn't sound so happy when she talked. "We had to help. I don't think I could live with myself if we just left you out there."

Charon groaned to himself. Did she have to be so goddamn _nice_ to everyone?

Wolfgang's smile grew bigger as he stepped closer to the girl. Standing next to her he resembled a big shaggy bear. _This bastard is almost as tall as I am_, Charon noticed. Wolfgang was only an arm's length away now. Charon wondered what would happen if he were to punch him in his straight white teeth. Undoubtedly he'd take a shot from the caravan guard, but would it be worth it? He thought it just might be. Probably nothing a few stimpacks couldn't heal.

Noel was looking up at him, her eyes and face like a child's next to Wolfgang's. "I… I'm sorry Mr. Wolfgang," she stammered, not used to such aggressive attention from a man. "I… I mean, Charon and I, we're really in quite a hurry. We need to get inside this monument and we should probably leave now."

Wolfgang's smile disappeared almost immediately. "Inside there?" He asked, pointing to the building with disbelief. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Noel. All these super mutants around, I'm thinking that they're holed up in that building right there. A pretty lady like yourself wandering in, why, it'd be like Christmas to them. You'd be best off avoiding the place."

Noel shook her head forcefully, a polite smile still on her porcelain face. "I'm sorry Mr. Wolfgang, but we've got to go in there. If you'll excuse us…"

He held up a thick hand as he interrupted her, "Just Wolfgang, please." With a look of concern he asked. "Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

Noel shook her head slowly and politely and started to work her way around his towering form when he shot out a thick hand and grasped her by the wrist, preventing her from leaving. Acting on instinct, Charon growled and immediately went to break the connection. Too forcefully, he wrapped a rough red hand around Noel's arm and yanked her back behind him, holding her close with his forearm tucked around her midsection. He glared daggers at Wolfgang and the trader dropped his hand.

"I'm sorry," Wolfgang said, smiling politely and holding up his huge hands in a small gesture of surrender. "I just wanted to ask if you were interested in some trade before you left, but it seems that your friend here (he looked at Charon and smiled deep) seems to be a touch jumpy."

Defensive now, Noel looked up angrily at the larger man. "He's not jumpy, he's just protective. And no, I'm sorry, I'm not interested in trading. I have to leave." She shook her arm free from Charon's grip and began making her way around the catwalk. Charon gave one last intimidating look to both merchant and merc before following his master's lead.

"I truly am sorry," he heard Wolfgang call after them. "I didn't mean to offend either of you."

Noel stopped where she was, a guilty look spreading across her face. She chewed her bottom lip as Charon watched, and composed her face into something a bit more cordial. She turned around, smiling weakly at Wolfgang.

"I'm sorry too," she called back, her voice higher than normal. "I'm not trying to be rude, and I know that we could all stand to be a bit nicer to each other out here in the Wasteland, but the truth is that I do need to go. It's really important to me. I hope you understand."

Wolfgang's handsome face broke into a smile at her words. "Yes Noel. I understand. Good luck with whatever it is you're after, and good luck in there (he nodded his head towards the memorial). Please be careful as I'm hoping to see you again sometime."

"Yes," Noel called back. "If you're on the caravan route I'll probably see you again. Good luck yourself, and good health!" With that, she turned away once more and began walking towards the end of the catwalk. After a few steps she came to her senses and pulled her rifle from its holster, holding it as Charon had trained her too.

_That son of a bitch_, Charon thought, fully aware of a fiery sense of jealously that grew with his every step. He stole a glance to be sure the troublemaking trader was on his way. Wolfgang was getting smaller in the distance, but Charon could still make out the merchant's schoolboy grin, wide and unwavering, on his face. _I hope that we never see him again. That man's more trouble than he looks._


	8. Chapter 8

It took them the better part of a day to clear the memorial building of super mutants. It seemed the goddamn things were around every fucking corner. Only after Charon had finally given the 'okay,' indicating that the level was clear of mutants, did the duo begin searching for James. Charon followed his master through the dark hallways, listening closely as Noel played the holotape recordings they had discovered over her Pip-boy. James was rambling on about something Charon wouldn't pretend to understand – scientific endeavors and something called "Project Purity." He had looked at Noel with an upturned eyebrow, feeling stupid, as though the voice on the other end were speaking another language. Noel had smiled at him, happy with the knowledge that James was indeed here at some point, and eating up the sound of his voice over the Pip-boy speaker. Charon knew that his master had been a daddy's girl, having lost her mom at a young age. She was a natural whiz when it came to science and repairs. No doubt she understood every fucking word on those tapes.

When the last recording had been played Charon grunted. He scanned the room, ensuring that anything worth value had been picked up while Noel stood silently, digesting what she just heard. Charon moved a few feet to pick up a fission battery that had been missed in their quick once-over of the room. He didn't know why she insisted on collecting all this trash, this _junk_. The word brought back to mind that goddamn merchant who had made a move on Noel. Fucking Wolfgang. Charon bet he loved this shit.

Charon tucked the battery into his pack and moved back to his master, who smiled at him in the soft afternoon light. When they were first together she had pocketed any item worth a fraction of a cap, ignoring the fact that the trash she made them lug around – old books, empty bottles, clipboards – were virtually worthless in this new society. Noel finally got the idea after Charon had started using the clipboards as kindling for their nightly fires. She had since given up on collecting the small things, and instead focused on more appropriate items – sensor modules and pilot lights.

It was a regular thing for them, to scour the wastes and sell their loot to Moira's Craterside Supply in Megaton. Moira might be a fucking nutcase, but she was always honest and forthcoming in her dealings with the girl and was equally polite to Charon. (_It adds to her insanity_, Charon thought.) In turn, Noel had spent most of the caps she earned on items for the house – first a homey pre-war theme, then a small medical kit followed by a workbench for Charon. Noel had quickly learned about Charon's affinity with weapons, and enjoyed spending her evenings sitting on her couch with Dogmeat at her feet, watching him tinker with and clean their guns. Charon never understood why she spent the caps fixing up her rusty clunker of a house when she admitted from the beginning that she would stay by her dad as soon as she found him. But then again, there were lots of things about the girl that didn't make a whiff of sense to Charon. Noel, vault princess, in and of herself was an anomaly.

"Where else haven't we gone?" Noel asked him as she tucked the holotapes inside her pack. "Have we found everything on this level?"

Charon shook his head. They had only killed the baddies, they hadn't done a thorough search of the place yet.

Noel nodded, all business as she steadied her rifle and began moving out of the room. "I'm going to check out what's down here," she pointed with her gun. "I want you to finish checking those rooms to the left."

Charon gave a quick nod of his head and did as he was told. Several minutes had gone by and he was just about to open a desk drawer when he heard an ear-popping boom come from down the hall. His heart jumped, his mind terrified, and he ran as quickly as his long legs would carry him to the place where Noel had gone.

The air swirled with white dust and flecks of paint floated from the sky. He couldn't see more than foot in front of his face in the goddamn mess. Charon blinked panicked, and crouched to the ground, feeling with his fingers for what vision wouldn't allow. He heard the crunch of concrete bits beneath his shoes as he felt boxes, thick pieces of the wall, and upturned furniture under his fingertips and hands. _Noel? Noel?!_ He screamed in his mind. "Where the FUCK ARE YOU?!" he yelled into the haze.

Then suddenly he heard something stirring somewhere off to his right. He stumbled on his hands and knees like an animal, desperately searching for her through the debris. The air was beginning to clear and he could make her out, sprawled on her back upon the ground. Some of her hair had been knocked loose from its ponytail and draped thin blonde strands around her face. Despite the explosion, she still had her rifle in hand as she stirred in the rubble. Charon would have to give her credit for that one. He had always told her to act as though the rifle was fucking glued to her fingers. Clearly, she had listened.

Though he could see her he was still worried. His heart pumped, blood beating hard against his neck as he called her name. "NOEL!" _What the fuck had happened_?

"Charon, Charon, calm down," he heard her respond sleepily. The air had settled enough for her face to come clearly to him in the mist. She looked pale and breathless, but seemed otherwise all right. He flopped down by her side, cupping her head in his large hands, holding it delicately with strong fingers as his eyes scanned hers.

"What happened?!" he snarled angrily. "Are you okay?" He scanned her body, thanking God that it was all in one piece. He returned his eyes to her, knowing that they looked vicious with his fear. "Answer me!" he demanded. "Are you all right?"

"Ungh," she grunted, reviving a little and attempting to sit up with a whimper.

Charon pushed her back down with one hand, scanning her body again. "Don't move," he ordered. His voice sounded cruel in his ears.

"Charon, stop," Noel replied, her voice gaining strength. "It was a stupid tripwire trap. I'm an idiot for not seeing it there."

"Yes, you are," Charon agreed with a growl, instantly regretting the words when he saw the wounded expression on her face.

"Look, it's no big deal," she said quietly as she sat up. "I'm fine, I just got the wind knocked out of me." She tried to stand up as she spoke. "It's just… aaach." She grimaced when she moved her legs from beneath her. Her eyelids pushed together in pain and her nose crinkled from the effort.

Charon resisted the urge to chew her out right then and there. _Stupid girl_, he wanted to scream. _You could have gotten yourself killed with your carelessness._ _Super mutants are cognizant enough to set traps of their own. Check for traps in mutant and raider strongholds. We've been through that a million fucking times! _

"You are clumsy," he growled, "and impulsive. It will be the death of you someday." His eyes were angry as he tried, desperately, to make her understand. "Hold still," he said gruffly, rifling through his supply for a stimpack.

Noel smiled as he injected the drug into her leg. "Maybe I am," she said softly, "but don't say that. If you say it, it may happen."

Charon was still breathing heavily, scanning the girl for any sign that something else could be wrong. He could feel his hand trembling around the empty syringe and he dropped it onto the floor. He worked hard on removing the edge of anger and fear from his voice as he spoke again.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Noel propped herself up on her arms, staring down at her legs. Through gritted teeth she nodded quickly. "Yeah," she responded with a sharp inhale of breath, "just give me a few minutes here to get myself together, okay?"

Charon nodded, his chest thrumming painfully with the knowledge that he could have lost her just then. He shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her.

"You are not leaving me again."

Noel smiled weakly through the pain. "Are you giving me orders now?" she asked.

Charon growled despite himself. "Not an order," he responded, knowing full well that his contract forbade him from daring such suggestions with an employer, "but a request."

She smiled at him, her clear blue eyes looking dreamy in the dust and light of the room. "Very well," she surrendered, "From here on out, I'm glued to your side."

Charon, still angry, crouched by her side, attempting to reign in his fear and assure himself that everything was all right. After a few minutes he held out his hands and pulled her gently to her feet, shifting her weight to keep her off the tender leg. He bit his lips until they drew blood, furious at himself for leaving and angry at her for being so damn reckless.

She put her weight on the leg gingerly to assess the damage. "It feels okay," she admitted, still holding his hands in her own. "I think it'll be fine."

Charon felt like dying. He was such an idiot. He almost fucking _lost_ her. Having her hands in his and seeing that she was alive and well – he knew it was more than he deserved. The animal in him bellowed to snatch her in his arms, clutch her small form to his, and to kiss her angel face over and over again, ensuring that yes, she was alive and well in his grip. With all the fortitude he could muster, he silenced the beast and dropped her smooth hands from his own. It took more strength to do that one small act than he knew he was capable of.

"We should go," he said gently, taking in the sight of her beautiful rosy lips and cheeks. "Your father may still be here. There are still places that have yet to be explored."

Noel gave a small nod, looking past he debris to where they had earlier passed several doors. "The rotunda," she said in a quiet voice. "I know I saw a few signs for it back in the other room. Let's go there next."

Charon nodded in agreement and followed his master as he slowly made her way towards the main hallway. This last mishap had shook him to the core. It's not as though Noel hadn't set off traps and mines before (he swore she had some uncanny ability to stumble directly over them), but she had never been too far away for him to reach out with a defensive red arm and pull her from harm's way. He was not letting her go off alone anymore and she had just said that she wouldn't leave his side. He tried to comfort himself with the knowledge that all the menacing dangers in the future would have to make their way past him first before getting to the girl. _I swear_, he thought, _if anything were to happen to you_… Charon didn't want to imagine the possibility.


	9. Chapter 9

The rotunda had held a few super mutants which Charon and his master dispatched of quickly. More importantly, it held a holotape whereupon James had stated his next destination. Noel intently listened to her father's recording, her face stoic as she realized, yet again, that she'd just missed him. When the tape clicked to a stop she looked up at Charon and rolled her eyes with a small smile. Charon was grateful that she was taking the news so well. Last time she had missed her father she cried, and Charon did _not_ know how to handle tears.

"So," Noel sighed, pulling up her Pip-boy for she and Charon to look at together. "I guess we'll be heading to Vault 112, huh?" She pointed to the new marker on her Pip-boy screen. James's holotape revealed that he planned to travel to Vault 112 to meet with some famous scientist – a guy by the name of Doctor Braun. Their destination, Vault 112 seemed to be on the far west of the greater D.C. wastes. It'd be quite a hike from here, but at least they'd be out of the fucking city.

"Oh goody," Noel said in a flat voice, her eyes twinkled playfully. "Just what I always wanted – a field trip to another vault, because the last one was oh-so-pleasant."

Charon raised a questioning eyebrow. She had never spoken negatively about the vault before.

Noel laughed. "They tried to kill be before I was kicked out." Charon narrowed his eyes at this tidbit of information, pulling his lips together against his teeth.

"It's a long story," she said, looking up at him. "I won't go into it now."

Charon nodded, moving closer to his master to get a better view of the Pip-boy. He could smell the clean scent of the soap she used on her face and hair. He inhaled slowly, savoring the freshness of her.

"Hmm…" she thought aloud. "Dad's tape said something about the vault entrance being hidden in a gas station or something like that." She looked up at Charon as though he might know. When she read no hint of recognition in his eyes she looked back at the Pip-boy.

"I just hope it's not too hard to find," she grumbled.

Charon nodded. He could tell that it was getting late now. He definitely did not want to stay in the memorial overnight, surrounded by dozens of stinking super mutant bodies. He hoped Noel was thinking likewise.

She was. They did one final scan of the memorial, checking for any valuables, before she suggested that they head back to Rivet City for the night. Charon was thankful. After crippling herself with the tripwire trap, he did not want his master attempting to make her way back west just as of yet. _Give it a day_, he thought. _Make sure it's completely healed before we head out again._

He followed close behind her as they left the memorial and headed back towards the city that floated on the water. He found his eyes trailing again and again to her back and butt as she led the way through the growing evening. He couldn't help but think of how fucking cute she looked and how he wanted to hold her tight little body against his own. He was suddenly feeling very lucky to have her as his master. A small sheepish grin appeared on his face.

They were almost to the metal platform that led to the bridge of the city when he noticed the convoy. _Wolfgang, that fucker. Again?_ Charon grumbled a curse under his breath as they neared the pack brahmin.

Upon closer inspection Charon discovered that, while it was indeed a trade convoy, it wasn't Crazy Wolfgang's. He let out a sigh of relief as they approached the traveling merchant. Noel, forever projecting a sense of kindness and warmth, had the man and his small entourage smiling before they even reached them.

"Well now," the man boomed loudly as Noel and Charon came to a stop before him. "What have we here?" He eyeballed them both and smiled openly, his big white teeth glowed in stark contrast to his dark skin.

Noel smiled shyly. "How do you do?" She asked, her voice sounding innocent and sweet to Charon's ears.

"I do just fine, thank you very much young lady." He tipped his faded baseball cap at her and Charon before speaking again. "I reckon you must be Miss Noel."

Noel exchanged a quick nervous glance with Charon before forcing a small smile to the trader. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

The merchant laughed loudly. The act seemed too comfortable, too casual in the dangerous wastes for Charon. Charon supposed that one had to learn how to learn how to let their guard down in these surroundings in order to do business in this line of trade. Still, the laugh made him instantly cautious of the man.

"No young lady, we've never met before," the man said. He held out a hand and shook first hers, then Charon's. The ease with which the trader interacted with the ghoul surprised both he and Noel. Most humans were instantly afraid of Charon, and for good reason.

"My name is Lucky Harith. I happened to come across a friend in the trade, Crazy Wolfgang by name, and he told me about you. Good thing too," he confided, "I hadn't seen Crazy in a long time. We were beginning to get a bit worried for his ass."

The caravan guard behind him nodded in agreement.

Charon groaned. Not this guy again.

Lucky continued, changing his voice to emulate Wolfgang's deep and steady tone as best as he could. "He told me: Lucky, I just met the most beautiful young thing I'd ever seen in my life. She has pretty blonde hair and a body that you wouldn't believe. She was traveling with a ghoul fellow and I have a feeling they might just end up at Rivet City." Lucky smiled at Noel, who stood with her mouth slightly agape, a confused look on her face.

The trader gave Charon a little wink. "Long story short," he went on, "Wolfgang told me that he'd met a girl named Noel. He asked me to give this to her if ever we should cross paths." He removed a small slip of paper from his zippered front pocket.

"I'm assuming you're her?" he asked. "I generally don't run into many young women traveling the wastes, and even less who are in the company of a ghoul. I just figured that you were the girl."

Charon eyed the paper warily as Noel took it from Lucky's outstretched hand, resisting the urge to growl. _That asshole's got some nerve_, he thought bitterly.

Noel smiled politely, her voice small. "Yes, I'm Noel and this (she motioned to her side) is my companion, Charon." Charon tried to catch her eyes in his, but they seemed to be far off somewhere, as though they weren't really registering anything at the moment. He grumbled to himself.

"Whoo-eee," Lucky breathed loudly, the noise sounding like a brahmin call. "I hope you don't mind my saying Miss Noel, but I've seen a lot of things in the wastes but I've never seen anything like this right here." He looked back at his caravan guard who smiled courteously. "A girl and a ghoul? And a tall thing at that," he said, taking in the sight of Charon. "You two certainly do make an interesting pair."

"No offense, of course," he added quickly, smiling broadly at the ghoul.

_None taken jackass_, Charon thought.

Noel beamed an angelic smile and looked at Charon sweetly. She spoke to Lucky but her eyes held fast to her guard the whole time.

"Charon's my best friend," she spoke matter-of-factly, "I don't know what I'd do without him."

Any other time her words would have sent him fucking soaring. Right now, all he could think of was what was written on that goddamn note.

"Well, it was good to meet you," Lucky said in a friendly tone. "Please let me know if there's anything that I can help you with."

"Well actually," she put a delicate finger to her lip, "we do have some things for trade."

"Now you're talking my language, girl." Lucky grinned, "Let's see what we can work out."


	10. Chapter 10

Several hundred caps richer (and armed with many more .44 and .308 rounds – it seemed like Lucky Harith dealed in salvaged weaponry – a good guy to know in these parts), Noel and Charon checked back into the Weatherly Hotel. Vera seemed relieved to see the girl alive and well after leaving with the ghoul earlier that day. She didn't make much of a fuss over tonight's accommodations, but continued to eye Charon suspiciously as he followed behind his master.

Noel hadn't read the note that Crazy Wolfgang had left for her yet. She had tucked it inside one of her vault suit pockets and there it had stayed. Charon wondered when she'd read it. He wondered if he'd get a crack at it too. He was still shocked by the merchant's audacity, though when he reasoned with himself he knew that it wasn't that farfetched. Crazy Wolfgang was a handsome guy and Noel was a goddamn angel. The trader had obviously felt some chemistry with her, hence the note. Charon clenched his teeth bitterly. He told himself that he had no right to feel jealous. Noel wasn't his and would never be his. He should be thankful that she had attracted the attention of a successful trader, rather than some shitty useless town rabble. _Reason all you want_, he told himself, _you're a jealous son of a bitch and there's no changing it_.

They dropped off some of their supplies in the room before heading to Rivet City's marketplace for dinner. Gary Staley, the owner, was nice enough, even to Charon, though the man had a tendency to ramble. Charon ate his meal in silence, despite knowing that Noel wanted more of his "communication." The food looked ordinary – bland and unappetizing – and tasted like sawdust in the ghoul's mouth. He was still fuming over the fucking note.

Noel was in usual form, chatting openly with strangers and easily making friends with the Rivet City crew, who were (in Charon's opinion) even grumpier than your normal wastelanders. She talked happily with Charon, despite his seeming indifference, on any little thought that crossed her mind. She seemed happy and comfortable, and the sight of her brought Charon a small sense of peace.

Late that evening, after making their way around Rivet City and taking in everything there was to be seen (there was even a goddamn museum here, if you could call it that), they retired to their hotel room. Noel flopped herself playfully down on the bed, letting her hair loose from its ponytail. The sight of her laying there, arms wide, full mouth open and beautiful, made Charon hungry with desire. He sat in a corner by the door like a trained animal, a hand over his mouth, trying to imagine what his life had been like without her in it. Though it hadn't been that long ago, Charon couldn't remember any specifics. He felt numb when thinking of the past, and wondered if, before now, he had ever cared about anything at all.

Noel was merrily chattering along about something or another (who the hell knew) when she bolted upright, her hair looking disheveled around her passionate face. As if suddenly remembering, she looked at her guard.

"What do you think that note's about, Charon?" she asked him.

Charon turned his eyes away and angrily shook his head. He wanted no part in this.

"Aren't you curious?" she egged.

Charon rolled his milky eyes. _I should have punched him when I had the chance_, he thought.

"I'll bet it has to do with traveling with a ghoul," Noel said nonchalantly as she delicately removed the note from her pocket. Charon's eyes widened at the sight of it. Maybe that was it. Maybe he was warning Noel about the scary dangerous ghoul. Charon truly hoped that's all it was.

She continued. "A lot of people have their concerns about us, but it's all just a misunderstanding on their part. They don't understand that ghouls are people too and that as long as they're not feral… or glowing (she scrunched up her face in a way that was too cute for words), that there's really nothing to be afraid of." She looked at him playfully. "My Charon for example," she sighed. "Why, you're as gentle as a pussycat." She giggled as he rolled her eyes at her.

Charon trained his eyes on the metal wall before him as heard his master unfold the note. He wanted to know yet he didn't want to know what that damn slip of paper revealed. After a minute he heard her small voice come from the bed.

"Huh…. That's…. interesting." Charon watched as she pushed her lips together in thought. "Well," she sighed, an uneasy smile coming to her face. "I'm not quite sure what to make of _that_."

She left the open note where she was sitting as she stood up and stretched. She went to her pack and began taking out her toiletries for the night. It wasn't every day that she had access to a bed and bathroom and she was taking full advantage of it, swallowing a quick dose of Rad-x before exposing herself to the irradiated water.

True to her word she looked at him before leaving the room. "I'm going to take a shower, Charon. I'll be back in a few minutes or so, okay?"

Charon nodded. As soon as she closed the door behind her he felt his eyes wander to Wolfgang's note. He told the rational part of him to shut the hell up as he stood up and quickly read the letter that was resting on the bed.

_My dearest Noel_, it began. Already Charon was hating the sound of this.

_I hope that my letter finds you well, and I apologize sincerely if I seem too forthright with these words, but I assure you that everything you find me saying here are things I only wish I could speak to your person. Should I find you again before you receive this note, I will confess all of this to you directly._

_I must admit that I never expected to meet anyone like you in the wastes. (Perhaps my faith in humanity is fades with each passing raider I encounter.) I could see it in your eyes the moment I looked at you. You have a kind heart, a giving soul, and you genuinely care about others. I didn't even know that women such as you existed anymore._

_It's been only hours now, but I find that I cannot stop thinking about you. You're charming and beautiful and I regret having left your presence so soon. If you're familiar with the caravan convoys, then you'll undoubtedly know of my trade route. If you leave a note with any of my merchant brothers I'm sure they will see that I receive it when I replenish my wares at Canterbury Commons (Lucky Harith has been kind enough to wait as I wrote this one out for you)._

_I do hope to hear from you. Please understand that this act, this letter, is not commonplace for me. You have struck a chord in my heart that is most welcome and sweet. Please take care of yourself until we meet again._

_Yours,_

_Timothy Wolfgang_

_P.S. Be cautious of the ghoul that travels with you. He seems too protective over you, if you understand my meaning._

Charon bared his teeth like an animal, resisting the overwhelming urge to crumple the note and shred it piece to piece. He wanted to hunt down Wolfgang like a dog. Where did he get off? This fucking letter made him want to scream until his throat was hoarse.

With unequalled discipline, Charon dropped the note on the bed precisely where Noel had left it. He didn't want her to know that she had read Wolfgang's letter – she'd probably see it as an invasion of privacy. Fuming and redder than normal, he resumed his spot on the floor, the blood pumping in his veins like a beating drum as Wolfgang's words repeated uncontrollably in his mind. He pressed a fist to his mouth, his hand quaking angrily. He knew that his anger was irrational but he couldn't help it. He breathed deep and exhaled with a slow whoosh of air. He didn't want Noel to come out and see him so shook up. Charon leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to picture the son of a bitch's face in his mind. God help him the next time they crossed paths again.

A short time later Noel came back, pressing a small wet towel to her damp hair. Charon opened his eyes, unable to resist following her as she made her way about the tiny room. In the dampness of the water her long strawberry blonde hair looked more of a light pink. She smelled heavenly, her scent lingering wherever she moved. She looked at Charon and smiled as she accidentally sat on the open letter. Startled, she shot back up and put her towel away before taking the note in her small hands and folding it. She tucked the paper in her pack and took out a fresh towel for Charon.

"Interested?" she asked, her big blue eyes playful as she dangled the towel like a treat.

Charon muttered to himself. "In the morning," he grumbled barely audible enough for her to hear. He wondered what she was thinking about the letter. Could it be possible that she was thinking of Wolfgang too? _Only_, Charon told himself, _she would be thinking of him in a much different way than I am._

Noel looked at him as a mother would look at a small child. She always wanted to take care of him. Charon never fucking understood it.

With a resigned sigh, Noel lay back on the bed and dropped the towel on top of her pack. The light in the room was still on, fluorescent and stiff, and Charon rose to flip it off.

Noel turned to her side, her thin ivory arm folded at the elbow to keep her head propped up. "How long are we going to continue playing this silly game?" she asked with a hint of whimsy in her voice.

Charon froze, his finger on the light switch. What the hell did she mean? Did she mean… he and her? Did she know about him, about what he wanted, what he was thinking? Did she see that he had read her letter? He stood, unable to answer, terrified.

Finally, after it was clear that Noel wasn't going to elaborate on her question, Charon spoke in a feeble voice, barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean?"

Noel giggled, her aqua eyes twinkling. "I mean _you_, on the _floor_." She motioned with her free hand to where Charon had just been sitting.

Charon, unsure of what she was getting at, just stood there blinking his cloudy eyes.

Noel grinned happily. "Really," she shook her head side to side, "it's the silliest thing I've ever seen. I don't know why you insist on sleeping on the floor like an animal. It's not as though I've ever treated you like one or asked you to sleep down there."

Charon remained a statue on the light switch. He didn't understand what she meant.

With an exasperated sigh, Noel shifted her little body on the mattress, exposing more and more of it, until she was lying at the far end, her back pressed against the wall. She sharply tapped the empty space next to her with her free hand.

With the gesture came a realization and immediately Charon knew. He shook his head at her slowly. There was no way he could bring himself to do that.

"You sleep on the bed. I sleep on the floor." The answer sounded stupid to his own ears, but he hoped it would get the point across.

Noel smiled slyly and tapped the empty space again.

Charon was grasping at straws here. "You are making me uncomfortable," he spit out the words quickly, embarrassed at having to use them in an attempt to get out of this.

"Ugh!" Noel grumbled with a laugh. "And _you_ make _me _uncomfortable every single night you're down there. I'm beginning to think that I'm a really horrible person for letting you sleep on the floor all this time."

Charon shook his head. His heart was racing, anxious for this line of conversation to be over.

"Charon…" Noel threatened.

He shook his head again.

"Look," she said, sitting up and bouncing her feet where they dangled off the edge of the bed. "The way I see it we have three choices here. Option one: We continue with things the way they are. I sleep on the bed and you sleep on the floor like Dogmeat."

He knew she was trying to goad him by comparing him to her pet but he didn't care. He nodded his approval. Option one sounded really good to him right now.

Noel shook her head, her eyebrow raised at him. "Well, _I_ refuse to do it, so Option one isn't really an option, okay?"

Charon grumbled. He did _not_ like where this was going.

Noel held up two fingers. "Okay, second option, Option two: You sleep right up here with me." She pat the spot on the bed again, her smile mischievous. "It won't kill you, I swear. I don't bite… or at least I don't think I do."

He was silent. Option two sounded terrible. He couldn't imagine being that close to her all night long. It'd be too easy for him to lose control of himself. He couldn't bring himself to think of what her reaction might be if something were to… happen.

Noel sighed, getting no response from her guard. "Fine," huffed, sounding exasperated, "then we're down to Option three: I go out there, right now, wake up Vera, and tell her that we need a second room. You will sleep there, _on the bed_, until I come and get you in the morning."

Charon stood motionless. He hated option three as well.

Noel smiled at him, her face sweet, but serious. "The choice is yours. You can either have Option two, or Option three." She shook her head playfully, her wet hair flicking around her face. "There is no option one," she growled, raising her eyebrows at him.

He didn't know what to do. The infuriating anger he had felt a moment ago at Wolfgang's letter was completely and utterly trumped by a terrible sense of panic. He just stood there looking at her, unable to do anything else.

"Ugh," Noel groaned, flopping back onto the bed. Her body turned so that she was speaking to Charon but looking at the ceiling.

"If you don't decide…" she warned, "I'll do it for you."

Charon swallowed and nodded, his saliva suddenly like thick bile in his mouth. She turned her head to look at him and registered his expression with a smile and a small sigh. Both options sounded horrible to the ghoul. Option one, which is what he wanted, was removed from the floor almost immediately. Unfair on her part, he thought, as he really had no problem with sleeping on the floor. Option two put him directly in the lion's den with his temptations and kept him prisoner there all night long. No thanks to that. Option three meant he had to spend the night without being able to see her, not knowing what was going on or even if she was still safe. That, and he'd have to wait for _her _to fetch _him_? He knew every minute of it would be torture.

Charon looked at her, helpless.

Noel looked back at the ceiling and smiled. "Option two it is. It's less trouble this way. I won't have to wake up Vera, and we can keep the caps we would've spent on the room." She smiled at her guard. "You got it? You'll sleep here tonight. Right here." She tapped the bed again with a giggle.

Charon shook his head, emotionally paralyzed by what had just happened. He looked at her, his mouth askew. Is that really what she wanted? He didn't move, giving her time to rethink her decision.

Instead, Noel reached over the bed, grabbed the towel she had offered to Charon and threw it at him playfully. He watched, unmoving, as it hit his torso and fell crumpled at his feet. "Well?" she laughed. "What are you waiting for? Turn the light off and let's get some sleep."

He couldn't believe this was happening. _Where the fuck has this come from?_ Without a word he finally flipped the light switch off. He couldn't see her in the darkness, thank goodness for that, but he could hear her, and goddamn it, he could smell her scent like it was fucking perfume.

Muttering angrily, he unclipped the shotgun from its holster and steadied it next to the bed, a mere grasp away should he need it. His thick thighs touched the mattress as he towered over her in the dark. He could feel it moving as she shimmied over even further to make space for him. The bed wasn't exactly big, and Charon wasn't a small guy. He stood a full head over most wastelanders (_except Wolfgang_, he thought bitterly). He knew he wouldn't have much space on the mattress, and that his master would be pressed against him all night. He wondered if she would mind. Hell, she's fucking _ordered_ him to do it. He grumbled and slid into bed cautiously, trying to avoid touching her at all costs. He knew that it would be an impossible task.

Noel sighed contentedly as he lay flat down beside her. She was curled up on her side, and already he could feel her head, shoulder, and legs touching his own. He pictured what it would look like in the light. The mental image made his brain roar with pleasure.

She sat up slowly, struggling with small kitten-like grunts at the effort of pulling the sheet over them both. When she was satisfied, she lay back down and snuggled against his right side. Her breath felt so small in the darkness, like a baby bird's. Charon's heart thumped in his ears. His eyes were wide and he was blinking madly into the darkness, his body rigid with nerves. He knew, with her this close to him, feeling her supple warm skin against his body and hearing her soft noises in the night, that he would get absolutely _no_ sleep.

His body felt electric, his mind, excited and struggling to retain control. In the darkness, he felt her pushing lightly on his arm with her hand. He was grateful that he wore his thick Talon merc armor to bed, and that she was dressed, neck to feet, in her old 101 jumpsuit.

"What is it?" he hissed at her.

"Charon," she groaned, "this would be easier if I had your arm."

"What?" he whispered angrily. "I do not understand what you mean."

"Your arm," she repeated, pulling on his right arm so that his elbow extended to the edge of the bed. "I'm uncomfortable all scrunched up and I want your arm as a pillow."

A pillow? He'd never seen or heard of a pillow in his life. "What is a pillow?" he asked her, not understanding why she moved his arm. He felt awkward with it extended away from him.

Noel sighed. She was sitting up now and turned towards him. Her voice came from above where he lay and it was unusual for him to be the one looking up for a change.

"It means that I'm going to lie on your arm," she said patiently.

She found his shoulder in the darkness and ran her hand down the length of his arm, stopping on his bare forearm where the muscles were thick and tense. There wasn't room for his arm to open fully with the bed pressed against the cold metal wall. His forearm and hand ran vertically up the wall, uncomfortable for Charon who was too afraid to move it.

Noel grunted softly as she repositioned herself on the bed. She lay with her head, still damp, on Charon's shoulder. The smell of her was intoxicating. Instinctively, Charon felt his forearm bend in an embrace, forming a protective cave around her body. He could feel Noel smile by his side.

"There," she whispered softly, her every exhale like a kiss on Charon's exposed neck. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

Charon didn't respond. His brain was in a frenzy trying to memorize every detail of this moment; how she felt next to him, how she smelled faint and sweet, how her breath and skin felt against his own. He was miserable while simultaneously enthralled by this new setup. After what seemed like an eternity, Charon felt his master's breathing slow to become deep and even. She murmured sweetly and inched her head further down his chest before falling asleep. He was glad she seemed comfortable. He sure as hell wasn't, though he wouldn't change things now for the world.

Charon grimaced as he turned his head towards his master's pack. Though he couldn't see it, he knew it was there. That goddamn note. He thought of Wolfgang and smiled in the night. He wished the fucker could see them now.


	11. Chapter 11

Charon woke before his master did, his body frozen in the same position it had been in for hours. Even in his sleep he was too uncomfortable and goddamn angry over Wolfgang's note to move. It had taken forever for him to fall asleep, his brain and body ever-aware of Noel's small form so close to his own. He had finally passed out from exhaustion (he figured it was this as his dreams had been empty and blank, thank God) in the early hours of the morning. Instinctively, he looked to his shotgun that rested against the wall, feeling for its cold barrel and was immediately reassured of himself when he gripped it in his free hand.

Charon's stomach churned, his body immobile. Noel was sleeping peacefully, her lips slightly open as she breathed in and out, her fragile fingers curled and resting against her peaceful face. He could make out the soft throbbing of her heartbeat as a vein pumped beneath her skin of her neck. He fought a small urge from deep in his gut to place his mouth over the delicate spot, feeling the life and warmth of her under his lips. Fuck, it would feel good.

Aggravated with himself, he pulled away, moving slowly and carefully as though the girl was a goddamn frag mine and he didn't want to set her off. Once free he stood angrily at the door, grumbling at himself with a raw knuckle to his mouth. What the fuck was happening to him?

He stood that way for another hour, a silent dark statue in the room before Noel stirred awake. She shifted sleepily in the bed they had shared, her strawberry blonde hair forming a thin veil over her face as she leaned forward to rub the crust from her eyes. She raised her eyes to meet his, looking at him apprehensively.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Charon muttered a string of obscenities under his breath too low for the girl to hear.

Noel looked up at him, her eyes cautious. "But it didn't kill you, right?"

Charon shot her a stone cold glare. No. It hadn't killed him. Just a part of him – the part that he used to have control over, the part that he used to understand. Charon was determined now to resurrect it. After everything that had happened to him as of late Charon realized how downright dangerous the girl was for him. As for the part that fantasized about her constantly, the area of his brain that repeatedly imagined her supple skin bending to his will, Charon was fully determined to tell that part of him to shut the fuck up for good. It'd make his life a hell of a lot easier.

She chewed her lower lip. "Well," she said soberly, "I guess we should get ready to go. Maybe we'll grab a bite to eat at Staley's before heading out."

Charon nodded. He went to pick up the towel where she had thrown it at him last night. Without a word he exited the room to shower up, knowing that Noel would use the time to get dressed for the wastes and pack their belongings neatly into their sacks. He sighed, suddenly feeling very tired as he made his way to the bathroom. He was grateful for the privacy.

It took them the better part of two days to make their way out west, stopping by to spend the night at Megaton as per usual. Noel's Pip-boy had a hell of an easier time directing them from one discovered location to another. Finding a _new_ location, on the other hand, was a different story altogether.

Noel dropped off whatever excess supplies that she wanted to keep in her Megaton home. She greeted the robot cheerfully, grabbing a swig of purified water before allowing Dogmeat to follow them as they made their way around the small town. They stopped in Moira's first, selling the few valuables they had found on their way from Rivet City. For all her eccentricities, Charon determined Moira to be a pretty decent person. She was always friendly to Charon and honest in her dealings with the girl (_sometimes too honest,_ Charon thought. It didn't take long for even Noel to realize that – while she might be a repair genius – Moira Brown had more than a few screws lose).

"I want to go to Moriarty's before we head out," Noel told her guard as they exited Craterside Supply. She smiled sweetly at Dogmeat, who stood by her legs, barking at nothing in particular.

Charon nodded. The girl always liked to pop in and check on how Gob was doing whenever she was in town. He knew that she felt badly for Gob. Charon would have too, that is, if Gob didn't throw his puppy eyes all over his master whenever she walked her ass into the saloon. Still, he reasoned, Gob had a shitty life and the kid deserved a little sympathy now and again. It couldn't be easy being trapped in that cram can, pouring drink after watered-down drink for every asshole with a cap that made their way through the door. Not to mention dealing with that bastard, Colin Moriarty. Charon grunted. Moriarty reminded him of a softer version of Ahzrukhal – cunning, manipulative, and evil to the core. With an amused smirk Charon remembered the way _that_ one had ended up.

She looked up at Charon and smiled innocently. "Do you mind?" she asked, her light eyes searching his for an answer.

Charon cleared his throat, uncomfortable with the way her eyes were making him feel. "No," he spat in his rumbling voice. "I do not mind." _Why are you even asking me?_ He thought_. I'm your slave, or have you forgotten? I work for you, not the other way around_.

With a shake of his head, Charon realized that every little thing the girl since leaving Rivet City seemed to be pissing him right the fuck off. He knew that he was bitter about Wolfgang's note, about having to share the bed with her, and about having to deal with her goddamn tempting smile and laugh all day long. A part of him wished for his old life back. Things were so much easier then, even if it were doing that evil bastard Ahzrukhal's dirty work. Charon smirked. Maybe… maybe if he could just stay irritated with her this whole mess would go a lot smoother. He was bound to get rid of the girl sooner or later – unless James was dead, that is.

They headed for Moriarty's, their feet clinking and clanking as they walked on the metal rampway. Charon wasn't used to the sound. It seemed unnatural and misplaced in his ears. He missed the way his footsteps sounded in Underworld's marble chambers, a soft earthy shuffling. He realized suddenly that if he were to be "released" – that is, if Noel found her father at Vault 112 and was true to her word by setting him free from his contract – that he would go back to Underworld to live. It may not be perfect, but at least he knew who he was back there. His mind and body would stop the goddamn wrestling match that happened whenever Noel stepped too close to him or whenever he caught her faint scent in his nostrils. He was sure he could find something to do in Underworld to make a few caps. That, plus Ahzrukhal would be gone. Bonus.

The realization instantly made Charon feel better. He was grim, but determined to get to Vault 112 as quickly as possible. With any luck, James would be there and his troubles would be over.

They stepped into Moriarty's and Charon couldn't help but grimace. Colin always kept he place so goddamn _dark_. Through his squint he noticed Gob perk up like a kid at Christmas as Noel took a seat at the bar before him. Charon supposed that he should feel some sort of an affinity with Gob, being that they were two ghouls in almost humorously similar situations. But he couldn't. He couldn't feel anything but a curdling sense of irritation for anyone when they eyeballed Noel as openly as Gob did.

"Oh man," Gob sighed as Noel settled down at the bar. "Am I glad to see you. Moriarty's been especially nasty lately and I could use a friendly face."

Noel smiled openly. "How are you doing? What's the word about town?"

Charon leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed, and phased out of the conversation. This, this mindless banter, would go on for about ten minutes before Noel would politely excuse herself and leave. He propped his knee on the wall behind him, purposefully looking anywhere else to avoid the pathetic scene happening at the bar. He could vaguely make out Noel excusing herself from Gob's company, unusual as they'd just got there.

With narrowed eyes he watched her slowly come towards him.

True to form, Noel was keeping him updated on her whereabouts. "I'm going to use the restroom, okay? I'll be back in a minute."

Charon grumbled, knowing full well that he was coming across as jerk. He hadn't spoken to or given the girl a second glance all day. Still, he couldn't help watching her carefully make her way to the bathroom, trying hard not to register the way her small hips swayed as she walked.

Gob made a gurgling sound as he wiped down the bar counter with a dirty rag. The bartender always seemed to be cleaning, even with an empty house, though for all his work Moriarty's still looked like a shithole. The noise snapped Charon's attention off the girl, though he continued to listen until he heard the audible 'click' of the bathroom door.

Gob sighed, flopping the rag down on the counter and looked at Charon. Charon realized then that the two of them had never been alone together before. He hoped the bartender wouldn't try to bring up anything… strange.

Gob spoke in a throaty voice when he registered that the girl was out of earshot. "Boy, do I envy you," he said, looking up at Charon.

Charon answered back with an unblinking stare.

"I mean," Gob chuckled, "you've kind of got the nice end of things, don't you?"

Charon glared. Gob had no idea just how "nice" it was.

"Mmmm," Gob grumbled, his eyes unfocused. "I'd trade with you any day of the week, to wake up looking at that." He motioned towards the bathroom door. "She's nice too," he added quickly. "She treats you good. I've seen it. Better than any fucking ghoul I've ever met, that's for sure." He looked up at Charon. Taking in the taller ghoul's unflinching grim expression he suddenly seemed embarrassed. He picked up the rag again and began to buff the counter.

"But I guess it doesn't do me any good to be thinking that way," he said as he looked down at his work.

Charon glanced at the bathroom door. Still closed.

"It is just a big tease," he spoke quietly to Gob.

Gob looked at the larger ghoul with a shy smile. "Yeah, well, tease or no. I'd still trade places with you in a heartbeat."

_Tsk_. Gob had no idea.

Noel emerged from the bathroom moments later. Gob looked up from his work hopeful that she would sit back down and share his space a little longer.

"Sorry Gob," Noel said as she stopped briefly at the bar to say farewell. "Charon and I have got to get going. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. I'll be back soon though. Take care of yourself until then." She stepped away, waving over her shoulder and opened the door out to Megaton with Dogmeat panting at her heels. Charon gave the ghoul the smallest of nods before wordlessly following his master.

"Yeah," he could hear Gob's deflated voice come from behind him. "See you soon."


	12. Chapter 12

That night they slept in the Megaton house. Charon was thankful that the girl had her own room and that he had his. He had dismissed himself to his room and shut the door as soon as he saw his master preparing for bed. He couldn't bear to be with her anymore today. It was becoming physically and mentally exhausting to be in her presence. Despite his best efforts to put the girl entirely from his mind, he found himself constantly fighting back urges to pull her into his arms or pin her against the wall, pressing his thick body and desperate lips against her powdery skin. He wanted nothing more than to find James and put this whole goddamn mess behind him – that, or to actually carry through with one of his fantasies of the girl, though he doubted that would ever happen.

Charon lay awake on the sofa next to Noel's room, his eyes making out the small twinkle of stars through the gaps in the corrugated metal roof. He stubbornly refused to give into the physical urges that overwhelmed him when he was alone and thinking of the girl. He knew the act would only reinforce his desires and make them come back stronger and deeper than before. He was already struggling to win over his mental fantasies on a daily basis and he didn't want any physical stimulation to make things worse.

_Still_, he thought cynically, remembering a week ago where Noel had uttered the same words to him in the wastes, _I'm only human, right?_ He briefly lifted his head to ensure that the bedroom door was closed before shutting his eyes and surrendering his brain and body to fantasies of sex with the girl.

He imagined her coming into the room, dressed in her old Vault 101 jumpsuit, her hair disheveled about her face. He pictured her standing in front of him as he watched contentedly, his hands folded behind his head with a smug grin on his face, enjoying the show. She wouldn't say a word, but would just look at her with those goddamn eyes, playful and excited, but nervous. He'd watch as she'd slowly slide her zipper down, stepping deftly from her jumpsuit, revealing the near-naked body he's imagined so many times before – flawless, perfection.

He'd sit up then, his body straining with excitement at the mere sight of her, heat flushing from his chest and midsection. He'd grip her tight flat stomach with his rough red hands and kiss and suck and hell, he'd do everything he'd ever wanted to her, reassuring her with his touch and his words that she would be all he ever wanted.

He could practically hear her pants and moans as he pulled her down to him, his lips leaving from her abdomen, his tongue finding her breasts through her bra. He'd bury his face in her perfect chest, biting at her nipples through the thin fabric, causing whimpers to come from the girl. With a free hand, he'd fumble at his pants, exposing his cock, thick and swollen, as he'd guide Noel's hand down to it. He imagined her alabaster fingers stroking him as she kissed him, her tongue teasing his mouth before carefully laying a trail down his neck, his chest, and fuck, she was right where he wanted her. He groaned as he imagined her beautiful face rubbing up against his dick, her tongue trailing the veins that throbbed painfully now. He'd grip the back of her head with his hand, the other hand supporting himself on the couch, as he'd guide himself into her mouth. He knew she would be new at this, so he moved her slowly, gently, but fuck, he couldn't handle much more of this. He closed his eyes, his breathing ragged, as just looking at the girl bent over him like this would be enough to make him come. With strained grunts, he'd guide her head faster then, relishing the sound of Noel's muffled throaty sucking. He'd drop his hand eventually, letting her continue to work on her own, imagining how hot she'd be when he stripped her underwear from her body.

He'd pull her off him right before he came – no reason to spoil things now – and he'd free her of her panties before pulling her onto himself so that she straddled his stomach. They'd kiss for a while so that Charon could enjoy the feeling of her wetness on his abdomen. Eventually he'd flip her on her back so that he was on top of her, kissing her wet mouth, his body absolutely scorching now and screaming for release.

In the darkness Charon played the images over and over as he stroked himself faster, pulling on the sensitive skin until it was enough to make him come. He shuddered in the aftermath of the act as he lay on the couch, his naked stomach slaked with semen. He couldn't help but want to fuck Noel. Goddamn, he wasn't the only one. With a low growl he turned to his side, fumbling for a rag in the darkness so that he could wipe himself clean. He didn't know how much longer he could live like this. His body wanted to her but his brain told him not to dare. Tonight was a sweet release – albeit one that he tried not to succumb to. Most nights he slept right next to the girl, unable to free his body of the pent-up desires of the day. Night after night of those arrangements were bound to drive him fucking insane.

Charon grumbled as he cleaned himself and flopped back on the couch. He crumpled the rag he'd used and tossed it into a corner of the room. Who knows how many more nights he'd actually have with the girl. If James was actually in Vault 112 this time (a real shocker, considering how many times they'd missed the bastard) then she'd probably release him from his contract then and there. Noel may still be immature, but the girl was fucking honest. She promised that she'd release him and he knew that's just what she'd do. What would he do with himself then? Underworld was an option, but he didn't know if he'd be happy there.

Charon growled at the thought – he didn't know if he'd be happy _anywhere_. He knew that he wanted to be around Noel, but being around something you want so badly it fucking hurts, and never being able to get it – he didn't think he could stand that torture. Most likely, Charon realized, he'd go back to Underworld, do whatever bullshit job he could find, and spend most of his nights exactly as he had spent this one right here.

_Fuck. At least the fantasy's better than nothing_.

Feeling drained, Charon closed his eyes and attempted sleep. His body wasn't drilling him for absolution anymore, but his brain was still racing with thoughts of the girl. He concentrated hard, listening to the small creaks and ticks of the house in an effort to clear his mind. He was about to fall asleep in the silence when he heard telltale footsteps coming from Noel's room. He continued to listen, squinting in the dark, expecting the footsteps to make their way to the bathroom down the stairs – a place Noel frequented at least once on most nights. He clenched his jaw, suddenly feeling alert when he realized that her footsteps had stopped right in front of his closed door. He lay propped up on his arms, staring at the doorway, expecting the girl to knock. After a solid minute of nothingness he spoke to her through the door.

"What is it that you want?" he asked in a rough voice.

There was a moment of silence, in which Charon could practically imagine what she looked like on the other side of the door – small, fragile, and pale in the dimly lit house. He pictured her smooth hand pressed up against the metal door, her eyes and ears straining to pick up on Charon's movement within.

Her voice was small from behind the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt you. Were you sleeping?"

Charon answered honestly. "No, I was not sleeping."

"Do you mind if I come in?"

Charon's eyes narrowed. What could she possibly want now? "You may do whatever you wish," he answered in a gruff voice.

He heard the door creak open and could see the small silhouette of the girl though the dim light of the living room. She stood in the doorway, waiting. "Can I turn on the light?" she asked.

Charon sat up and grunted an agreement and the light in his room flicked to life a moment later. He realized a split second too late that he was sitting before her more exposed than he'd ever been. He'd taken off his Talon Company vest as soon as he'd been alone, and he was suddenly aware that his pants were still unzipped from his earlier excursion. His hand went to cover the area immediately.

It took a moment for the girl's eyes to adjust to the newness of the light, but Charon noticed that they widened at the sight of him. She blushed and quickly looked away, turning her body from him.

"I…I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

Charon grumbled. He zipped up quickly, hoping that the girl couldn't hear the sound. "You are not interrupting. What is it that you came here for?"

Noel turned back around and looked at Charon, her face still flushed pink. She was still looking at the floor, and when she finally brought her face up to meet his he noticed that her eyes flicked back to his bare chest and she blushed even deeper.

"Actually," Noel admitted, sounding embarrassed, "I couldn't sleep and I was hoping that we could talk." She was looking down at the floor now, her cheeks a deep pink, her bare feet scuffing back and forth slowly on the metal floor.

Charon looked at her in disbelief. He'd been an ass to her all day and she wanted to _talk_? Why the fuck would she want to talk?

"Um… there are a couple things I've been meaning to tell you, but with everything that's happened I just haven't been able to."

Charon's eyes narrowed as he watched his master. She was alone with him in the room, just as she'd been in his fantasy just a few minutes ago, yet he couldn't feel further from lust at this moment. He only felt confused and anxious as to what the hell she was talking about.

"What is it that you mean?" he asked her suspiciously.

"Well frankly," she sighed, looking at his eyes once more, the blush finally starting to disappear from her face, "I'm not quite sure where to start."

Charon's face was grim. He stared back at her saying nothing.

"Do you mind if I sit?" she asked him.

He nodded slowly, moving to his left to make room for the girl on the couch. She sat down next to him, tucking her legs neatly beneath her body. She rested her back against the arm of the couch so that she was turned to face the ghoul. He caught the scent of her as she sat. She smelled warm and soapy and delicious.

"There's actually a lot that I wanted to say to you," she confessed. "I mean, you're the closest one to me out here and I feel like there's a lot I've been keeping from you." Her eyes trailed down to his chest once more, taking in the sight of his exposed body. She blushed and looked away again. Charon raised an eyebrow at her behavior.

"I guess I'll just say a small piece for now," she smiled shyly. "I wouldn't want to tire you with my talking. It's getting late in any case, too." Her eyes met his again and her smile widened. "Though, I _do_ know how much you enjoy talking."

Charon frowned as she teased him. She chuckled at his grumpy face.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" he asked, curious as of why she would choose now, of all times, to have this conversation with him.

"Well, I guess it's about Megaton – this house, I mean," she said as she smiled at him. "You know that after we find dad I'm going to stick with him no matter where he goes. I'm thinking that he'll wind up back at Rivet City. There seems to be a pretty well established lab there and it seems like the kind of place that dad would want to be."

She sighed as she continued, her eyes finding his bare midsection once more before flicking away quickly. "Uh, well, we might try to go back to the vault too, but I'm not sure if they'll take us back." He voice lowered and her aqua eyes narrowed. "I'm not sure if I _can _go back. I think I've changed too much."

Charon grumbled an agreement. The girl certainly had changed from when he first met her, though it seemed to him that the cozy comfort of the vault would befit Noel perfectly.

"Anyway," she went on, looking at Charon and smiling once more, "I got this house from Lucas Simms, for disarming that bomb. I didn't ask for it, he just kinda_ gave_ it to me." Her face was sincere as she looked straight into Charon's milky eyes. "I know that finding and owning land, and safe land at that, is hard to do out here. And… well, since I'm not paying you… I thought that I'd give you this house when I released you from your contract."

The ghoul looked at her in disbelief. Was she serious? Humans weren't supposed to give a flying fuck about ghouls, let alone be nice to them. And here she was offering him a goddamn house? He scoffed at the thought. A ghoul owning residence in a smoothskin city? It was ridiculous. No one was that generous unless they wanted something from the deal.

"What do you think?" she asked gingerly after many moments of silence. She seemed apprehensive about Charon's answer.

Charon rubbed a rough hand over his face, registering again that Noel had stolen another glimpse of his exposed torso. He would feel self conscious about it but it had taken him years to get used to the look and feel of his ghoulified body and he didn't feel shamed in the slightest. He did, however, feel a sickening sense of discomfort when he registered his master's pale smooth skin in stark contrast to his rough red exterior.

After another long moment wherein Charon tried to wrap his mind around the girl's idea he responded. "It is your house and your property. You can do with it whatever you wish."

"Great," Noel smiled widely. "Then it's yours. And then you can do with it whatever _you _wish." He face looked electric. "I don't know how comfortable you are living in Megaton, but you could probably sell it if you wanted to. I know it's worth a few caps. I've even bought some things, like the workbench and the jukebox, that I thought you'd like, but you can sell them too if you want."

Charon stared at her. She must be crazy.

Noel continued, her voice energetic now. "Thinking about it now, you'd probably make a lot for the house. Who knows?" she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You may even make enough from it to buy Gob off Colin Moriarty. I know how much you like Gob," she teased.

Charon grumbled. Definitely insane.

"In all honesty," she sighed, "I hate seeing Gob work for that creep. He's a no-good guy, you know?"

Charon nodded. He didn't know what happened. Ten minutes ago he was jerking off to the girl, now he was in possession of her goddamn house? And she wanted him to buy Gob? What the fuck was going on?

"Well!" Noel slapped her palms on her thighs happily. "I guess that's it for now. Geez, I'm glad you're okay with the house. I was really worried about what you'd say. But I felt so bad. I didn't know what I could do to repay you. Even though the house doesn't come close enough to saying thanks for everything you've done for me, it's a good place to start."

Charon found himself shifting uncomfortably in his spot. She had a way of spinning his world upside down in a matter of minutes and he felt completely off guard now. "You do not need to provide payment for my services," he spoke quickly. "The contract provides that I do not expect, nor am required to receive payment in any form."

"I know," Noel smiled innocently. "I've only read your contract a million times. I'm not _required_ to pay you, nor are you expecting any payment, but I thought that you could use the house – either to live in or to sell. Really, I'd feel much better if you'd take it."

"After we locate your father?" Charon asked hesitantly.

Noel nodded and beamed. "Naturally."

Charon thought about it for a long time while Noel watched his face and sat patiently. The ghoul eventually grunted his consent. He'd sell the goddamn house and buy Gob off that drunken Irish bastard – that, or he'd take the shotgun to Moriarty's face and blow his ass to hell just as he'd done to Ahzrukhal. He just hoped that Gob would find something to do with himself. He couldn't imagine the smaller ghoul following him around goddamn everywhere. What a nightmare. He may just have to kill him if it happened.

Noel's eyes seemed distant now, a small smile lingered on her face. Charon wanted to reach out and stroke her delicate skin. How could anyone be this nice in the hell that they lived in? Wolfgang, the bastard, was right. She was goddamn special. He leaned back and sighed deeply. The girl seemed determined to take care of him. It was infuriating and exhilarating at the same time. He'd never had anyone care about him before.

"Charon?" Noel asked, the playfulness gone from her voice.

Charon tilted his head towards her, his eyebrow raised in a question.

"Um…" her light eyes flicked from his chest to his face, a small blush forming on her smooth cheeks. "This is going to sound like a really strange request, and… and you can say no if you want, honestly, but…"

Charon raised his eyebrow even further. What was it now?

"Uh…" she was positively red now. "Do… do you mind if I…?" She lifted her small hand, holding it flat against her body, and motioned moving it onto Charon's chest. "I mean… I've never seen you like this… and I just wonder… what you would feel like."

Charon stared at her face for some indication that she was teasing, but she looked damn serious and sounded downright anxious with her stammering. No wonder she had been looking at his body this whole time. She was curious. He was suddenly nervous himself, painfully aware of how his skin must look to her – inhuman and freakish next to her own perfect body.

She looked up at him apprehensively. Her voice was barely above a whisper now. "You… you can say no if you'd like."

Charon shook his head. No. The fact that she wanted to touch him made him simultaneously terrified and exhilarated. He wanted her to touch him without pulling away like he was a fucking monster.

"I do not mind," he said, his voice sounding low and distant to his ears.

Without a word, Noel bent forward and gently laid her delicate hand over his chest. Charon felt his heart thrumming immediately at the coolness of her touch, his breath automatically quickened from the closeness of her. He swallowed as he watched her pale hand slowly moving over his chest, the touch of her fingertips like gossamer on his red skin. He tried to control the nervous heaving of his lungs, worried that it would betray his anxiety, though she didn't seem to notice. Her hand rested over his right breast, slightly above what remained of his nipple. He watched her eyes as she stared as his body, the scientist in her taking in sight of the exposed muscle, woven together with skin tissue and sinew. Her thumb stroked the muscle softly. Charon stifled a groan at having her touch him so gently and without a hint of revulsion in her face. He wanted so badly to cross the space that separated his face from hers and kiss her deeply, pulling her covered body against his exposed chest.

"Charon?" Noel asked softly. "Does it hurt?"

The ghoul shook his head, unable to answer, afraid of what his voice might betray.

The girl slowly moved her hand to the middle of his chest, her fingers trailing on his skin in a way that made him want to shudder with pleasure. She let it rest in the middle of his chest. After a moment she spoke again.

"I… I can't feel your heartbeat." She looked up at him, the blush gone from her face, replaced by curiosity.

Charon swallowed hard and tried to keep his voice even. "You have to press down," he instructed her.

"Oh." Noel applied a little pressure, but not much. It was as though she were afraid to press down on his uncovered muscle.

Charon's heart was drumming like a minigun. "You will not hurt me," he told her in a quiet voice. "Here."

His hand was on hers before he even registered it. He had placed a rough hand as gently as he could over Noel's smooth skin and pressed it deeper against his chest. He could tell by the slight widening of her eyes that she could feel his heart beating beneath her palm. After a moment, he removed his hand from hers, forcing it down to his side once more. The coolness of her skin against his stayed with him though, and he imagined that when he looked into that hand again, it would somehow appear more healed, more human.

Noel withdrew her hand slowly. She looked up at Charon with large unreadable eyes. "Your skin is rougher than I thought," she said quietly.

Charon nodded, his brain and body savoring this time with his master. They stayed that way for a while longer – Charon looking at the girl, Noel studying the ghoul's skin. Charon knew, in this one moment, that he could no longer fight feeling the terrifying but inevitable sense of love for the girl. He knew that he cared about her more than she would ever understand, and that there was no use in struggling now. She didn't treat him like he was just some heartless beast trapped within a decaying body, she treated him like a goddamn person – something he hadn't felt in God knows how long. Charon felt a deep sense of loss in his gut, with the knowledge that someday, possibly soon, the time would come when she would relinquish his contract and he would suddenly be terribly and completely alone without her.


	13. Chapter 13

They set out for Vault 112 as soon as the sun rose. Neither of them talked about the new closeness that formed from the events of last night. It's as though a wall between them had been broken – a physical barrier that had once kept them distinctly separate. Now Charon felt a novel sense of comfort and familiarity in traveling directly at the girl's side. He noticed that she seemed more at ease with him too, playfully pushing or pulling his arm more frequently than she ever had in the past or rubbing his shoulder to see if he was okay after a firefight. While he never initiated any contact on his own, Charon was happy with this new change in their relationship.

After traveling for several hours they spotted a small building in the distance.

"Smith Casey's Garage," Noel read through her sniper scope. She turned to Charon with a hopeful smile. "You think this is it?"

Charon nodded. The Pip-boy seemed to indicate that the vault was right there and he sure as hell didn't see any other landmark nearby.

"There is only one way to find out," he said in a gravelly voice as he flashed a wicked smile at his boss.

Noel laughed, taken aback but happy with his unusual show of emotion. She put her sniper away and cocked her head as she looked at him, a smile wide on her face.

"Charon, I love the way you think."

It didn't take long to reach the garage. Unlike the previous day, Charon found himself savoring every minute with the girl. He watched every movement of her slender body, and smiled beside her as she tripped on a rock or hummed one of Three Dog's tunes – something quintessentially "Noel." It was amazing what one single night could do.

Shortly thereafter the duo arrived at Casey's Garage. It was run down, as was everything in the wastes, but was safe at least – a nomadic wastelander had holed up there and opened it as a trade shop. _Not the best place for a business_, Charon thought cynically. _It's far away from goddamn everything_.

The duo found the vault entrance that was hidden inside the garage easily enough. Noel looked nervous as they opened the thick metal door, glancing up at Charon shakily. Charon smiled with as much affection as he could muster. He wanted so desperately for her to be with him. Now it felt as though they were sharing their final moments together and he wanted them to be good. He didn't want to think of the outside world, of all the things that could go wrong out there, of that bastard Crazy Wolfgang, or of the fact that she may be banishing him forever if James was behind these walls.

The large metal doors to Vault 112 opened slowly and Charon followed Noel as she cautiously led the way inside, winding their way through one empty corridor after another. Both of them were surprised when they finally encountered something – a large robobrain that greeted Noel, rambling something in a sterile mechanical voice about her being 202.3 years late for arrival. Charon and his master shared a quizzical look. What in the world was going on? Where were all the people?

The robot held out a Vault 112 jumpsuit with its thick metal arm. It spoke to Noel in a steely tone (or at least, Charon thought it spoke to Noel. He couldn't really tell where the damn thing was looking, but the suit seemed to be presented to the girl).

"Please redress in your Vault-Tec issued vault suit before proceeding. If you have misplaced yours, I am authorized to issue you a new one."

Noel looked apprehensively up at Charon. "Uh… thanks," she said in a puzzled tone as she plucked the vault suit from the robot's rigid pincers.

The robobrain continued, "Once dressed please proceed down the stairs to the main floor so that you may enter your assigned Tranquility Lounger." With that it turned and rolled away.

Charon was on edge. What the fuck was wrong with this place? He was glad that it wasn't overrun with hostile supermutants or raiders or some shit, but where were all the residents? And what in God's name was a Tranquility Lounger? He grumbled as the robobrain slowly wheeled away and looked at his master who was also frowning, clearly not happy.

After a long pause in which both parties were trying to wrap their minds around what was happening, Noel spoke.

"Charon…" she said slowly. Her voice uneasy and tense.

Charon cut her off, his voice gruff. "I do not like the look of this place," he warned. He was getting a very creepy feeling from the eerie silence in the vault that hung like the stench of death in the air.

Noel scoffed. "You always say that," she teased worriedly. "I agree though," she conceded, "I don't want to be here any longer than we need to either. But first," she added, her eyes looking apprehensive, "I think I should change."

He nearly choked on his tongue. She was changing? Into the _vault suit_? What the hell for?

Noel responded as if hearing his question. "The robot _told_ me to change," she said innocently. "I guess I should probably do what it says."

Charon grumbled and shook his head exasperatedly. The girl was impossibly naïve.

Noel chuckled at his reaction. "Look," she smiled, "I'm changing whether you want me to or not, just…"

"Just what?" Charon barked.

Noel's smile widened. "Just don't watch, okay?" She made a little motion with her hand and Charon could see a small blush on appear on her pinkening face. "Turn around."

Charon stood there staring at her, a look of disbelief on his face. She couldn't be serious.

She laughed. "I _said_, turn around. I don't want you watching."

Charon groaned and turned to face the wall. He couldn't believe she was wasting her time with this shit. He stared at the metal wall before him – oddly clean considering how old the vault must be. He perked up instantly when he heard the sound of her unzipping from her armored vault suit. He smiled too himself, imagining his master down to her britches behind him. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all. There was a shuffling of clothes, followed by another long zip before she spoke again.

"Okay, all done."

Charon turned around, and looked at Noel's new getup. He would never get over how stunning she was.

"What do you think?" she teased.

Charon stood admiring her body. Without her pack or weapons equipped, he could clearly make out the shape of her small firm figure. The fact that her new suit fit snugly around her body was pretty nice too. Charon couldn't help but notice that the outfit zipped tight around her breasts and cinched at her narrow stomach, showing off a curvy and very attractive Noel. Charon couldn't help but smile a little. Yeah. He liked this new suit.

Noel laughed. "Come on," she said, plucking her belongings from the floor. "Let's go find this Tranquility Lounge and see if dad's there."

Charon agreed, nodding as he helped her pick up her belongings. He followed her through the narrow vault hallways, ducking his head so as not to hit it on the metal ceiling beams. Clearly, the vault was designed with someone shorter in mind.

The narrow corridors emptied into a large circular room, filled with what seemed to be oversized glowing eggs. Charon and Noel looked at each other and gripped their weapons closer. He was starting to get a _really_ bad feeling about this place. Upon closer inspection, Charon could see that the "eggs" were some sort of metal chamber. He stepped over some pipes and valves leading to one of the containers and saw what appeared to be a really old man inside. He and Noel silently went from chamber to chamber, making it about halfway around the room, noticing that there appeared to be a really old person inside almost all of them. Charon couldn't tell if they were alive or dead in there.

"What _is_ this place?" Noel asked, more to herself than to Charon. Her eyes found his in the dimly lit room, a look of disbelief on her smooth face. "What's going on here?"

Charon grunted and looked around supiciously. There didn't appear to be any humans here – other than the ones in the eggs at least.

"Perhaps we should search the rooms," he suggested. He didn't know what they would find here, but he knew that he wanted to get the hell away from those eggs.

Noel nodded with a sick look on her face. "Wait," she called, stopping him where he stood. "Charon, look." She moved quickly to a computer terminal she had missed in front of the nearest egg and holstered her rifle before pulling down the keyboard.

"Goodness," she said breathlessly as he came up behind her. "These _are_ the Tranquility Loungers." She hit some more keys on the computer, the spidery movements of her fingers rapping on the keys was the only sound in the room.

"Look," she said as she pointed to the screen, "It says this one is occupied by someone named Mabel Henderson." She quickly ran to one of the windows of the egg and peered in on her tiptoes, rapping on it lightly with a clear fingernail. "See?" she said, pointing excitedly. "You can tell that someone's in there."

Charon nodded. Someone was indeed in there. Someone old and ugly looking. He doubted if this Mabel Henderson was even still alive. Maybe these eggs were preserving the bodies of the dead. If that were the case this whole place was the creepiest goddamn cemetery he had ever seen.

Noel darted back to the computer terminal. She pointed to a green line of text on the black screen. "See?" She showed him. "These are her vital functions, her heart rate and stress level." She chewed on her bottom lip, her brain flowing a mile a minute. "I'll be these machines are some sort of life support system."

Life support system? It didn't look like the woman was alive in there…

Noel quickly darted to the next machine's terminal. Charon grumbled. Her excitement with this newfound technology was making her too impulsive. He didn't know if it was safe in here. They shouldn't be letting their guard down yet.

"Look!" Noel said hurriedly as her fingers pulled up information at the next terminal. "This one belongs to Roger Rockwell." She peered in the egg again, struggling to see into the window. "I wonder…" she started pulling on the hatch that sealed the egg closed, her eyes squeezed shut, straining from the effort of it. "I wonder if we can open it."

Charon grumbled, laying his strong red hands next to her pale ones, and tried to open the hatch. He grunted as the hatch refused to open.

Noel gave up and started moving from computer to computer, naming each inhabitant as she came across them. She stopped, silent, as she reached one of the last ones.

"What is it?" Charon asked apprehensively.

She looked up at him, her big blue eyes scared and confused. "Charon," she whispered. "This one says inhabitant unknown."

The look on her face made his heart ache. He wanted to take her small head in his hands and kiss it over and over, breathing onto her smooth ivory skin that it would be okay.

"Do you think that…. that it could be dad?" Her voice quivered.

Charon stepped closer to the egg to get a better look through the window. He couldn't make out the features of the person in there at all. Something seemed to be blocking the face – a screen or a machine of sorts. Noel was instantly by his side, standing on her tip toes and struggling to get her nose past the window. With a small grunt, Charon went behind her and picked her up by her armpits like she was a puppy, raising her so that she could get a better look through the egg's opening. His brain was too confused, too overwhelmed, to think about how she felt like the world's best puppet in his arms.

After a few seconds he put her down. Her face was grim. "I can't tell if it's him," she confessed, "but I think I know what I need to do."

"What is it?" Charon asked, afraid of the answer.

Noel moved quickly to an empty egg. "I'm getting in," she said in a determined voice.

"What?!" Charon snarled, following her close. "I do not think that's the best course of action given our current circumstances. You do not know what will happen to you in there."

Noel shot him a look, warning him not to go any further. "I'm getting in," she grumbled. "With or without your consent."

The thought of his beautiful Noel in one of those chambers like all the others – old, decaying, preserved in neither life nor death – made Charon feel like he was going to be sick. He put a hand out to stop her as she hoisted herself into the machine.

"Please," he pleaded, surprised to hear himself beg. "I am asking you to reconsider your actions."

Noel's hardened glare softened as she looked down from where she sat. "Charon," she soothed, "I'll be fine. I promise."

Charon stood there, his eyes darting around her face and he suddenly felt as though he were losing her right here and now. He wished that he could pick her up, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her kicking and screaming away from this hellish place.

Noel smiled as she reached out and stroked his cheek, her open hand velvety and smooth against his skin. He felt himself close his eyes and utter a small groan as he imagined nuzzling her hand with his face. He didn't want to lose her. Not yet. Not like this.

"Charon," she said in a calm voice, continuing to caress his face with her delicate fingers. "I need to do this. I'll be right here, okay? You can stay right where you are and wait for me. I'll be back soon. I promise."

A small defeated groan escaped his lips as she moved her hand away and pulled the hatch shut. And just like that, she was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

She'd been in the thing all fucking day. Charon stood, his stomach clenched with fright and nerves, sweating as he loyally and patiently waited by the hatchery door. He hadn't noticed anyone alive in this vault, his only company being the occasional passing robobrain. He was too anxious to eat or drink or move. He vaguely had the notion that Noel would be locked in that goddamn egg forever, and that he would die in this spot, right where he stood.

A deep frown was etched into his grim face as time passed painstakingly slow. He made a vow to himself that when and if Noel should ever be released from the damn thing, he would confess all the things he had been thinking and feeling and fucking desiring about her. With a disgruntled sigh he knew he could never do it. If Noel got out of there, well, he knew he would be weak and he'd never utter a peep about it.

All this time without her made him unbelievably uncomfortable. It was just him and his thoughts and he hated his thoughts. He wished he could find a bat or a pipe and break the goddamn glass of her little egg enclosure, pulling her small body through and cradling her in his arms. He wanted to kiss every inch of her and make her swear that she would never do anything so stupid again. He knew that he couldn't or he would have tried it already. The hatch was sealed shut and the window was too fucking small for her to fit through anyway.

He groaned loudly, hating himself for allowing her to enter the thing. Who knows what was going on there right now. He turned his head to look through the window, his arms folded. He narrowed his eyes as he saw her. She had been in that egg for hours now and hadn't moved or spoke or registered any emotion on her face – what little of it he could see with that goddamn _thing_ in the way. Now she was thrashing her head around, her face contorted in pain, tears rolling down her glowing skin. The sight of it made Charon crazy. What the _fuck_ was that thing doing to her?!

"Noel!!!" He screamed, banging on the hatch with his fists. "NOEL!!!" He looked briefly at the computer screen before deciding that there was nothing he could do with it, nothing that it could tell him that could be of any use.

"NOEL!!!" Somewhere in the background he could hear a robobrain trying to shush him. He ignored it, banging on the window of the hatch until his fists were sore. He clawed at the hatchery's latch, desperately trying to pry it open with his strong fingers. His teeth were clenched with the effort, saliva seeping from the corner of his mouth as he tried to lift the hatch open with all the strength he had.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It hadn't given a centimeter. Charon peeked through the window again. Noel had stopped shaking in her chair, but the tears still welled down her fragile face, dripping softly from her chin.

"Enough of this," Charon growled as he unholstered his shotgun from his back. He knew he wouldn't shoot it, for fear of damaging one of the many pipes or valves that ran the life support to Noel's enclosure, but he could use it as a battering ram. He spun the shotgun so that the rifle was pointed beyond his ear and began beating it, with all the force he could muster, against the side of the egg's enclosure. He repeated the action, over and over again, trying to crack the window or break the latch. His thick muscular arms flexed with each hit and eventually began trembling with the effort, but to no avail. There wasn't even a goddamn dent. Charon slumped down against the metal encasement. His body soaked in sweat, his throat dry, his muscles completely spent. He realized that his hands were covered in their own blood, blistering and bruised from his long repeated slams with his fist and shotgun.

He remained that way for hours, letting the blood flow, dripping on the cold metal floor, before eventually caking on his fingers. He sat with his legs crisscrossed, his head bowed down in defeat. She was hurting and he couldn't help her. She would be in there forever, gradually rotting into her chair like the rest of them. His stomach churned with the thought of his beautiful master slowly deteriorating before his helpless eyes.

Late into the evening he was still sitting, eyes closed, mind and body numb when he heard a small hiss come from above him. He stood up in a flash and watched, almost disbelievingly, as Noel's egg enclosure slowly swung open.

She emerged, rubbing her bleary eyes, her face blotched with red. She stood on the floor of the enclosure, her legs shaking.

"Noel?" Charon asked, his voice sounding small and frightened.

She was unsteady on her feet and continued rubbing her eyes as if adjusting to this new environment. "Charon?" she asked, sounding equally afraid.

His heart pounded in elation, his breathing heavy and hard in his own ears. "Yes, Noel. It is me." The words couldn't express the indescribable joy he felt at seeing her before him once more.

She was still crying as she spoke his name. "Charon?" she asked again, her voice cracking.

Charon reached up to her with his arms, the thick red flesh stretching as he pulled her down to him and away from the egg enclosure as quickly as he could. "I am right here," he soothed as he lowered her to the floor.

As soon as her small feet touched the floor he was on her, his arms wrapped tightly around her body, her face pressed up against his broad chest. The top of her head was right below his chin, and without thinking, Charon felt himself bend down to kiss it. She looked up at him with a start, her blue eyes watery, her arms curled to her chest and her body trembling slightly in his arms. Fully aware, yet out of control, Charon felt himself bend to kiss her again, resting his rough lips on her smooth silken forehead. He kept them pressed there for a long time, a small gasp escaping his lips, as he realized happily that she was back with him again. That goddamn thing hadn't killed her after all.

Noel's eyes were closed, her lips pressed together in a fine line as she allowed the ghoul to hold her. Her trembling had slowed to a stop in the seconds since their reunion. Finally Charon pulled his lips away, staring down at his master. Her eyes and face were a question and she looked back at him, searching. Suddenly Charon realized what he had done. He was frozen with her in his arms, knowing that he had done something wrong and waiting for her to come down on him for it. Wolfgang had warned her that her ghoul was "too protective" and now she had clear evidence that it was true. His mouth was open, soundless, as he struggled to say anything that might explain his actions.

Behind him he heard a noise that he immediately registered to be human – or at least, not a robobrain. He realized at once that his shotgun was on the ground, feet away from where he stood now. He growled at the disturbance, angry at himself for becoming separated from his weapon. He removed an arm from Noel's waist and slowly slid his fingers to the steel combat knife he kept at his belt, his eyes to the side searching for whatever was out there, when suddenly he felt Noel pull herself from what remained of his grasp.

"Darling," he heard a voice say in an accent. "I can't believe you're here."

"Dad!" Noel gasped, throwing herself into the arms of her father.

Charon watched surprised, as the father and daughter embraced. James was holding her tightly, stroking her ponytailed hair with a look of pure joy on his face. He kissed her head again and again, the same spot where Charon's dry lips had unthinkingly been only seconds earlier.

With a twinge of regret Charon looked away. He suddenly felt like an intruder in a very private moment. He moved slowly to pick up his shotgun and holstered it gently between his shoulder blades. His face was grim as he realized that he had damaged it in his failed rescue attempt. The butt of his shotgun would need to be replaced, though the rest of it looked fine. He tried not to think of it and kept his back to his master, not knowing what came next.

He could hear them talking behind him. Their voices were quick, excited, and anxious at the same time. He tried to tune out their conversation but he just couldn't. She was asking him about the vault, why he had left, and about her mother. James answered her every question patiently and delicately. His voice was smooth and soothing. Charon understood why Noel was so desperate to find him. He could feel the love between them and it made him feel as though he was even more of an outsider than he had thought. There was so much about the girl that he didn't know.

"Dad," Noel said gently, as she closed the space between she and Charon. "I want you to meet someone very special to me." Charon lowered his eyes uncomfortably.

"Charon, I'd like you to meet my father." Her voice was delicate as she spoke to him.

Charon turned around and with a small grunt straightened himself out, standing to his full height. He looked down at James, taking in his features that suddenly, he could see in Noel. They had the same eyes, the same bone structure. He realized that she looked a lot like her father.

James smiled politely, his eyes still warm with the enjoyment of having been reunited with his daughter. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, extending a hand.

Charon took it mechanically into his own, noting that the man's hand wasn't nearly as rough or calloused as the ghoul's. It seems James had an easier life than most. He grunted an acknowledgement and looked at Noel, wondering if she would release him from his contract now that James had been found.

But Noel ignored his look and began peppering her father with questions once more. Charon stood stoic, listening to their conversation, awaiting an order from his master. Just by listening, Charon could tell how deeply James loved his daughter. He wondered if Noel knew how lucky she was to have someone care for her like her father did. Cynically, he wondered if James knew the same.

"I need to get back to Rivet City, sweetheart," he heard James say to his daughter. "I've got to speak to Madison Li. I know that with Braun's information she'll jump back aboard Project Purity."

"Do you have to go now?" Noel pleaded, "Can't it wait?"

"No darling," James soothed. "I'm afraid it can't."

Noel sighed, looking up sadly at her father. She pushed a lock of strawberry blonde hair back behind her ears as she hugged him again.

James chuckled as he pulled her close. "It would be nice if you came with me. I'd love you to be there when we open the floodgates for the purifier."

"Dad," Noel grumbled, "you're incorrigible."

James laughed and released his daughter, his voice paternal and sincere. "I would love it if you could be there with me, but I understand if you have something else that you need to do. Just promise me that you'll meet me back at Rivet City."

Noel looked away from him, glancing at Charon sadly before returning to her father's warm face. "Don't be silly dad," she said gently. "Of course I'm going with you."

There it was. The words were daggers in Charon's heart. She was leaving him.

"That's fantastic, darling," said James. "Come on then. We need to leave right away." He kissed his daughter once more on the forehead before turning and heading back towards the vault entrance.

Charon was stood immobile. What would she do with him now?

Noel sighed before calling after her father. "Wait a minute dad. I'll be right there."

"Of course, hon," her father replied, his voice coming from down the hall. "I won't leave without you."

Noel looked at Charon and slowly shook her head. "Charon," she said, her voice on the edge of breaking. "Can you believe this? We actually found him."

Charon nodded slowly. He forced himself to speak. "I am happy for you," he said in a throaty voice, feeling completely lost already.

She reached into her pack, her fingers delicately pulling out a folded piece of paper. Her eyes were still puffy from the tears she had cried earlier. The aqua of her irises seemed to glow against her red rimmed eyes.

"I know," she said slowly, unfolding his contract, "that I said I'd release you from your contract when I found my dad. If he's made it all this way on his own, we can make it back to Rivet City together. I don't want to keep you captive any longer than I already have."

Charon nodded. Here it came. Freedom. He fucking hated the thought of it.

Noel sighed and bit her lip. She held the open paper out to Charon. "Here," she said with a forced smile. "It's all yours. You've definitely earned it."

He couldn't move. He just watched her, his eyes trying to memorize every minute detail about Noel in this one moment – her skin, her eyes, her hair – he felt like he would be seeing them all for the last time.

"Go on," she said quietly, slowly fanning the paper in front of him, "take it."

Charon frowned and his eyes narrowed at the paper. That goddamn contract. He'd never hated it more until now.

Noel raised an eyebrow, her face still looking sad. "Should I rip it up then?" she asked cautiously.

Charon shook his head quickly. "I do not know what would happen to me if you were to do that," he admitted quietly. He had never remembered _not_ being under control of the contract before – for it to suddenly be destroyed… he didn't know what it would do to him.

She sighed, her eyes beginning to well with tears. "Please then Charon. You _have_ to take it."

Charon grimaced, swallowing hard as he asked her. "Is that an order?"

To his surprise she shook her head sadly, her big blue eyes looking up at him as though she were being punished.

"No," she said slowly. "I'm not ordering you anymore."

Charon was silent. He reached out and slowly took his contract from Noel. He stared at it and then looked to his master. A lone tear fell from her face, her lips a thin line and her forehead wrinkled as she watched him. He smiled at her grimly, not knowing if what he was about to do would create for him a world of misery or bliss. With one deft motion his skilled red fingers, thick with dried blood, fluidly folded up the contract and placed it back into Noel's hand. Her expression was one of confusion as she eyed Charon with large eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked astonished.

"Going through the wastelands by yourselves is an unnecessary risk. It may be dangerous for the two of you. Especially," he gave a small crooked smile, "if there are mines about."

Noel watched him, her mouth agape, oblivious to the fact that he, for once, was teasing her.

"What? Does that mean…" she sounded unsure as she watched the ghoul through skeptical eyes, "… that you're coming _with _us?"

Charon nodded, his eyes gleaming. "I will accompany you for as long as you wish for it to be so. You may have changed in your time away from the vault, but you are still in no condition to survive in the wastelands on your own. You are reckless and impulsive and are a danger to yourself and others."

Noel snorted, registering that he was poking fun of her now. "You're kidding me right?" she asked, testing the weight of his words.

The ghoul shook his head with a grim smile. "I do not joke about your limitations, of which there are many."

Noel's mouth was an 'O' of shock. Letting his words sink in she finally gave him a snarky smile. "Who are you?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "And what have you done with my Charon?"

Charon suppressed a smile. He looked down the corridor where James had been headed. "Your father appears to be in a hurry. I do not think that we should keep him waiting."

His master watched him, awestruck. She blinked quickly and shook her head before walking past Charon, giving him a quick jab to the ribs as she passed.

"Fine," she said jokingly, "but don't think that I'm gonna drop this so readily."

Charon grinned behind her. He watched her get a small lead on him before following, his smile widening as he watched her push the folded contract back into its spot in her pack. He couldn't believe his own daring. Could it be that she wanted to keep him? Or was she just entertaining his fancy? In any case, Charon didn't care. He was still with her and goddamn, it felt good.


	15. Chapter 15

They sat around a small campfire several miles away from Casey's Garage, having made their camp and prepared to bunk down for the night. It seemed to be the only time James was comfortable stopping. It seemed as though the scientist were practically sprinting to Rivet City as though there was a flame up his ass. _What could possibly be that goddamn important out in this shithole_? Charon asked himself. Not that it mattered really. James had his own agenda, as did the ghoul – the scientist wanted to get started with his Project Purity nonsense, and Charon, well, he would be satisfied as long as he was still with Noel.

"Charon, is that blood on your hands?"

Charon looked at his master, then at James, before nodding slowly. He hadn't realized that he never bothered to rinse them off after Vault 112. He rubbed his fingers together, flecking the dried blood off his skin with his fingernails.

"Oh my god," Noel gasped as she moved closer to where he sat, taking his ragged and wounded hands in her own and bringing them closer to the fire for a better look. "What happened?"

Charon shook his head. "Do not concern yourself. It's fine."

"Fine?" Noel gasped. "It's not fine. Just look at them!" Noel, the scientist, the medic, had come out in full force. She was never as protective over him as when she thought he was hurt. The thought made Charon scoff. _Her_, protective over _him_? Wasn't that a trip.

The closeness of his daughter to the ghoul seemed to make James uneasy. Charon noticed him shift uncomfortably where he was sitting as he spoke to his daughter.

"Noel, darling. He says he's fine. Come and sit by me. Let him rest." James reached for his daughter with an extended hand, the other hand covering a large yawn.

Noel scooted over to her father, kissing him on the cheek. "Go to sleep dad. We'll leave as soon as the sun comes up, okay?"

James nodded, his dull grey eyes closing slowly. He leaned his back against the rock wall where they sat and tilted his head upward. He opened his eyes sleepily and reached out to touch his daughter's face.

"I love you, darling. I'm so glad that you're coming with me."

Charon watched as his master cupped her father's hand in her own, kissing his open palm lightly. "I'm glad too, dad. Now go to bed. I know it's been a long day."

James smiled in agreement. He looked over where Charon sat hunched by the fire. "Goodnight Charon," he said politely. "Goodnight sweetheart," he said to his daughter, his voice sounding drowsy and weak. "Go to bed too. You've had just as long of a day as I."

Noel nodded, kissed her father once more on the cheek, and stood up. Charon watched as she wiped her hands across her thighs and butt, brushing the brittle wasteland dirt from her vault suit. She stepped away from the campfire into the darkness, her hands on her hips as she stared at the sky. She looked back at Charon with a cheeky smile and with a small quick motion of her head, indicated for the ghoul to follow.

Wordlessly Charon joined her. They walked a short distance down a hill from the campfire, being sure to stay close enough to James so that they could keep an eye on him, but far enough away so that he couldn't hear what they were saying. Charon wondered what she wanted, though his gut told him that he knew. He had momentarily lost control of himself back at the vault when, overcome with relief that Noel was free from the egg enclosure, he had kissed her twice. He figured that now she was simply going to put him in his place and he was expecting the consequences.

Noel smiled at him sweetly, her face dark from the lack of light. He could barely make out her silhouette in the night, though he could see the faint movement of her lips and hands as she spoke.

"I heard you while I was in there," she said. "You have no idea how much it meant to me to hear you."

Charon watched her, confused. "What are you referring to?" he asked.

Noel turned to face him, her eyes looking glassy as her face lifted upwards to speak to the ghoul. "I mean when I was in the thing – the tranquility lounger – I heard you."

Charon nodded. He has screamed her name and attempted, without success, to break her free from the lounger when he saw that she was in pain. In the short time since they'd left the vault neither Noel nor her father had spoken of what went on in the longer.

"What happened to you in there?" he asked in a raspy voice.

Noel shook her head with a sad smile. "It's a long story, and not a good one at that. I just… I don't want to talk about it just yet, okay?" She looked up at him. "Suffice to say that it was miserable and that Dr. Braun is the biggest son of a bitch I've ever met." She scoffed a bit at the last part, her beautiful face twisting to a frown. "I'll tell you about it someday, okay? Just not now."

He nodded slowly. He wouldn't push her.

"But," she said, her voice lightening, "your voice saved me. I had a tough decision to make and I didn't know what to do, but when I heard you calling my name, I knew." She suddenly moved towards him, pushing herself off the ground with her small feet and throwing her arms as far around his neck as she could. Charon felt himself automatically close his arms around her body in a hug to keep her suspended in the air, gripping her as tightly as she was gripping him. She hung on, her feet dangling inches from the ground as the ghoul held her up. He could hear her shallow quick breath in his ear and as he squeezed slightly harder he heard her chuckle. His heart was beating quickly, but not from terror as it had in the past, but rather from excitement. They had recently become much closer, friends even, and he was astounded at how readily he adjusted to the physical touch of her. Holding her now didn't feel nerve-wracking or tedious, but comfortable, pleasant, and so unbelievably right.

After a moment he loosened his grip and lowered himself to drop her to the ground, but she held firm. With a satisfied smile that he knew she couldn't see, Charon stood back up, lowering his face slightly to embrace her deeper and inhale her scent with each breath. She weighed next to nothing. He wished they could stay like this forever.

"Thank you for what you did," she spoke softly behind his back. She pushed away from him with her elbows so that they could talk face-to-face, the guard still holding her tight. She kissed him playfully on what remained of his nose, her breath was hot and welcome against his skin. "One of these days, I'll have to explain to you why it's so important to me."

Charon smiled slightly at this new intimacy but said nothing, simply enjoying the feel of her in his arms. He was surprised that she pecked him on the nose, and was even more surprised that she was still holding him tightly. He was also surprised that she wasn't mad at him for kissing her in the vault, but then again, the girl was constantly amazing him.

They stayed that way for several blissful seconds, before Noel began to kick her feet playfully from beneath him. He lowered her carefully to the hard dirt. Once down, she continued to hold on to him, moving her legs between his and resting her face against his chest while her arms wrapped around his torso.

"You've been so wonderful to me," she sighed. Her voice sounded small in the darkness of the wastes. "When you're not being a grump, that is." She jabbed him playfully in the rib with a finger and resumed her embrace.

Charon chuckled and cast an eye back at the fire. He hoped James was asleep now. No doubt he'd be displeased to watch his only child touching a ghoul so readily.

Noel sighed, her cheek against his heart. "So," she said with a huff, still holding Charon tightly, "Are you going to tell me about your hands?"

"Mmm." Charon murmured. He didn't want to speak now. He only wanted to continue holding her. It's as though the rest of the world ceased to be – existing only as a nameless unimportant backdrop by which he and the girl could share this moment.

"Well?" she asked, jabbing at him again, laughing slightly as he jerked his body away from her poke. "What happened?"

Charon grumbled, causing Noel to laugh softly. He knew that she enjoyed prodding him – especially, it seemed, on topics that he had already made it a point to indicate were off-limits.

"I said I was fine," Charon answered. He looked down at the top of her head, unable to see or read the expression on her face. He tested the boundaries of their new relationship by gently squeezing her against him a big tighter.

Noel's response was immediate as she hugged him even closer and laughed softly into the night. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she mocked. "I know that you _say_ you're fine, but that doesn't really answer my question does it?"

Charon smiled at the sky. "No." He said simply. "It does not." He knew the answer would get a rise out of her. He was enjoying himself now. Who knew messing with the girl would be so much fun?

"Ugh!" Noel wailed exasperatedly. "You're such a pain." She looked up at him, her light blue eyes reflecting the dimly lit stars as she stared at the ghoul.

She looked and felt perfect standing there with her arms wrapped around him. With a free hand Charon tucked a lock of wind-blown hair behind her ears. His curled fingers began stroking the length of her blonde ponytail, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on hers. He didn't know what he was doing now or where he should go from here, but he knew that there was no stopping it.

Noel's eyes were large, a small smile on her face as she stared fixatedly at Charon. "You know," she said in a sly voice, "I haven't forgotten what happened back there."

"Hmm." Charon murmured, watching his fingers now as they combed through the girl's silken hair.

Noel stood on her tiptoes, bringing her face closer to the ghoul's. Her eyes were like orbs in the moonlight, a knowing smile on her lips. "You kissed me," she said quietly. "Here, and here." She slipped one arm out from Charons and gently touched herself on her forehead and head.

Charon nodded, still looking at her hair billow slowly in the light wind of the wasteland. He felt as though he were dreaming. Yes, he did do that. No, he didn't regret it. And yes, he would very much like to do it again.

"Charon…"

He brought his lidded eyes back to Noel's. She looked so goddamn beautiful. She was still on her tiptoes, her face turned upwards towards his, her skin looking smooth and flawless. He grunted and tightened his grip on the girl, lowering his head to hers.

And then they were kissing. He didn't know who started it – him or her – but he suddenly knew it's what they both wanted. He was desperate for her, but gentle – his body and spirit softened by their long embrace together. Her mouth was warm and sweet, her breath hot and gentle against his skin. He lowered his head to get even closer, and with sudden confidence began kissing her harder and faster. He could feel her hands on his face, pulling him down to her size. She was kissing him back just as urgently, her breathing muffled as her soft lips found his over and over and over. It was too much for him. There was no way this was happening. He broke away first, lifting his head and gulping for air, his arms still locked behind her back.

Noel breathed heavily as she watched Charon. Her lips looked a deep pink, bothered by the ghoul's rough kisses, but she was smiling widely. Charon couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight of her. She reached for him again with her alabaster hands and he was more than happy to oblige, bending low to kiss her, delicately pressing his lips against hers, savoring the taste of her skin.

They stayed that way for a long time – so long that Charon's neck and back began to ache from being arched over the girl, though he didn't care about his back, about the wasteland, about James, or about anything other than him and her right now. Her fingers pulled gently at the soft patches of hair on his head, small sweet pants coming from her mouth with each series of successive kisses. He knew that in this moment she was entirely his, oblivious to all things and everything except for the two of them. It was an amazing revelation – that she might care, and in reality, did care, about him in the same way he cared about her. He suddenly smiled mid-kiss, his dark eyes flashing in the night as he growled and picked her up, hugging her small body against his. She laughed as she let herself dangle in his arms, kissing his lips, his teeth, his cheeks, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Why do you have to be such a beast?" she teased, kissing him again. Her smile disappeared instantly as he returned it, her attention switching immediately to the act of kissing the ghoul.

Charon was suddenly and embarrassingly aware that his body had been quick to respond to Noel's many kisses. He put her down abruptly and took a step back from her so that their midsections were separated. She tried to follow and he reached out with extended arms, his large hands on her shoulders to keep her from coming too close and feeling too much of him.

"What's wrong?" Noel panted, a concerned look crossed her flushed face.

Charon was bent over to be at eye-level with his master, ignoring the stiffness of his neck and spine. He smiled, his mouth open as he caught his breath, and looked down to shake his head with a soft laugh. He had killed hundreds, thousands maybe, had survived the worst conditions one could think of, and carried out order after vicious order, making him look, think, and feel like a hardened warrior, and this – having a teenage girl brushing up against his erection? _This_ was what would make him back down? It was all too funny.

"Nothing is wrong," he said gently, leaning forward to quickly kiss her again, a small slanted smile on his face. "This is enough for one night. We should get some sleep now."

He was amazed at how easily and readily the words came from his mouth. His brain rioted at the thought as it quickly conjured up the images that Charon had been trying to suppress for so long – fantasies of holding the girl until the sun came up, kissing her all over her body, and making love to her in the nameless wasteland.

Noel watched him, breathing quickly, and turned up an eyebrow at his response. Was he crazy? She was actually there, kissing him, initiating it even, and he was telling her to go to bed?

"Charon," she pried, "I don't think you understand." She stepped towards him again, only to be stopped by his immovable arms.

He stroked the side of her face as delicately as he could with such rough fingers, smiling to himself. _No_, he thought. _I don't understand_. His brain and body felt otherworldly, as though he were seeing and directing his actions through a cloud. He watched with supreme satisfaction as Noel took hold of his coarse fingertips in her own and blanketed soft kisses on his skin. He had a vague thought that this must be a dream. There was no way she would do these things with him, and no way that he would allow himself to do these things with her. It was a dream. The best kind of dream. The kind of dream that made him wish he had died in his sleep so that he might, by some fluke of God, be able to hang onto the dream forever.

She sighed, scrunching her small raw lips to the side of her mouth. "This… I, I mean, you and I… you want this right?" Her eyes met his in the darkness, a small smile forming on her face as though she already knew the answer.

Charon exhaled slowly. "More than anything," he admitted.

"Then what's the problem?" she asked with a laugh, pushing forward towards him again, again stopped by his outstretched arms.

Charon said nothing as he held her in place, his eyes reading hers in a futile attempt to uncover why on earth she would ever want him to begin with.

"I've liked you for a long time Charon," Noel stated gently. "I thought you knew."

Knew? How the fuck was he supposed to know?

"Sleep," Charon said, the words were out of his mouth before he even knew they were there. His mind was so conflicted – half of it wanted some space and time to figure out what the hell was going on here, the other half wanted only to act out on its long-awaited desires to be intimate with the girl. Somehow, in an odd way, Charon wasn't surprised that he was pushing the girl off him. He needed time to digest everything that was happening, though he had a feeling that even a huge amount of time would be totally and completely ineffective in helping him to understand why she would ever desire him back.

Noel shook her head playfully, a smile crossing her mischievous face. "Uh-uh," she breathed. "I've finally got you right where I want you and you're gonna hear everything." She finally stopped pushing against the ghoul and looked up at him in the darkness with sincerity in her eyes. Charon felt his body surge at the knowledge that right now he could step in and kiss her and it would be rewarded. It suddenly felt too good to be true.

"You don't know how important you are to me," she said. "You've been my whole world since I first found you. It's only because of you that I'm still here at all."

Charon lowered his arms and righted himself, arching his back slightly to ease the ache away. He made sure to keep space between him and Noel. Step too close and he'd be back on her in a heartbeat. He wanted to hear what she had to say and to keep her talking so that she didn't try to kiss him again. He'd didn't think he'd be able to stop himself if they started up again.

Noel continued, her words and voice genuine. "You've cared for me and taught me things and put my wellbeing in front of your own. And _don't _(she gave him a sharp look) say that it's in your contract to do it, because I've looked." She sighed. "At first that's what I thought it was, but I read your contract over and over and I know that it's never been about that. It's simply been about you being a good person." She stepped forward, close enough for him to smell her in the small space between them.

"You _are_ a good person," she continued, her eyes earnest. "You pretend not to be," she laughed, "but you're the most honest and sincere person that I've met." She smiled, her eyebrows lifting as she spoke. "You scared the hell out of me when you shot Ahzrukhal's head off, but I understood after I asked around about him." She shot him a slanted smile. "Not the most tactful of moves though," she teased, "albeit a satisfying one I'm sure."

Despite himself Charon groaned with a chuckle._ Nice transition_, he thought. Noel's train of thought and her conversations had a way of changing mid-course, abruptly switching directions entirely when something new crept its way into her consciousness. She was right though. Killing Ahzrukhal had felt fucking great.

Noel's face suddenly became serious. Charon could see her furrow her brow in the dimly lit night. "Charon?" she asked, her voice transformed entirely from a playful tease to something small, frightened, and insecure. "You know I'm not ordering you anymore, right? You know…" her voice wavered, "… that I'm not commanding you to do this, right?"

The question made him want to wrap his arms around her again, cradling her in a protective embrace. His book-worm medic, his scientist, and yet she was so stupid sometimes. He laughed, the low tremor of the sound seeming foreign to him.

"Don't laugh at me," she said defensively. "I'm serious!" In the darkness of night he could make out her large glassy eyes looking up at him apprehensively. He smiled warmly and, against his better judgment, crossed the space between them and pressed his lips over hers. He heard her muffled sigh and felt her sink into his arms once more. His brain felt drunk with this new power.

He kissed her gently, slowly pulling their lips apart. "You must believe me," he said, his voice low and husky, "that I have desired this as well."

Noel smiled and rested her head over his heart, her arms wrapped loosely around his waist.

"Though I must admit," Charon continued after stopping to kiss the top of her head, "that I do not understand why you would be interested in someone such as myself. A slave and a ghoul."

Noel stepped away from him then, her smile widened. "No," she said softly. "You wouldn't understand." She stepped on her tiptoes to kiss him. Her face was indescribably beautiful as she looked up at the guard, her words almost bringing him to his knees. "But you've never been either of those to me."


	16. Chapter 16

Charon woke, feeling uncommonly groggy in the light of the morning. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe the drowsiness from them, and suddenly realized that the sun was already up. Sitting up he narrowed his eyes and scanned the area around him. The remains of a campfire. They had slept here last night. Noel, James, and he. He vaguely remembered laying the girl to sleep next to her father while he took a more remote spot for a better look over the wasteland.

His mind recalled the events of last night, bringing his body to a jolt. He searched for Noel. Was it possible? Last night had seemed so unreal. Could it be that they actually happened? They had kissed until the girl was practically sleeping on her toes. Charon had carried her and gently laid her to sleep next to James. He himself had moved further away and had fallen asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.

He stood quickly, his back cracking as he got up. He grabbed his things in one swift motion and began snooping around the campground looking for his master. He found her just a minute from where he was sleeping. She and her father had taken out some mole rat jerky and were eating and talking in hushed tones. Charon froze when her eyes locked onto his. He wasn't sure what to do or how to act around her now. Things seemed so different in the light of day. But when he saw her eyes warm at the sight of him and her mouth form a delighted smile, he breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes seemed to be taking in all of him, her mouth curled in a way as though they shared a secret that no one else would know. He knew instantly that last night was impossibly true and that she was just as excited about it as he was.

"Good morning Charon," Noel said in a chipper tone. She got up crossing the space between them and handed him a large piece of jerky. "Here. Have something to eat," she said as she pushed the meat into his hands, her fingers lingering on his. She smiled up at him. "You must have been exhausted," she teased. "Normally you're up way before I am that I'd ask if you'd even slept at all. And now," she cast him a devious eye, "you're sleeping in? I'm wondering if they didn't switch you out with someone else after all."

Charon didn't respond. He looked past her, nodding to James who nodded back happily. He pocketed the jerky. His stomach wasn't craving food when his mind was swimming as it was.

Noel watched the ghoul put away his breakfast with narrowed eyes but let it slide. She quickly resumed her normal optimism. "Come on sleepy. If you're ready to go then we'll head out now. We're hoping to make it to Rivet City today and it's a loooong ways off." She turned and walked back towards her father, looking behind her shoulder at the ghoul. "Are you ready?"

Charon grunted yes, watching her slim figure as she bent to pick up her pack. James shuffled to his feet, his boots crunching on the dry gravel as he brushed himself off. Charon knew that James had been in a hurry to get to Rivet City. It had been nice of him to wait until Charon had fully slept and woke before leaving. He wondered if Noel had talked him into it, or if generosity was simply something that ran in the family.

"Let's go then," James said, throwing his pack over his shoulder. "If you can keep up, that is," he said as he walked past his daughter, throwing her a smile.

Noel rolled her eyes and looked at Charon. "Yeah, yeah dad. You've got nothing on me old man. Just you watch."

James laughed as he lead the way. Charon followed without a word, smiling slightly as Noel walked by and squeezed his hand in passing. It had happened. She was his. He shouldered his pack and smiled to himself. Unbelievable.

They walked for hours. Noel and her father bantered and exchanged jokes and stories continuously. Charon could tell how close their relationship was. They both truly knew and understood each other – could read each other's faces and finish the other's sentences. James must be a kind person Charon realized. His daughter seemed to be a direct reflection of himself.

In addition to seeing his master in a new light, their increased party size made them all feel more comfortable and secure in the wastes. They had extra eyes and ears in which to see and snipe the baddies from a distance. Travelling as a threesome made things easier and faster.

Charon remained vigilant, but was decidedly more comfortable with this new arrangement. He hung a few feet back from Noel, guarding her closely. Despite the exhilaration of last night, Charon found that he could now easily push aside thoughts of the girl and focus instead on what surrounded them and the task that they needed to accomplish. The difference was remarkable. Instead of looking and immediately feeling an overwhelming lust for every inch of her, he could look at her and feel sublime happiness and satisfaction. It was a great feeling. He wasn't stumbling over his temptations all day long either, and while he still found an animalistic urge develop in his gut whenever he found himself staring at her body, he could check himself and cast it aside with little difficulty. The difference came from the knowledge that the urges were something he could eventually act on – when they were alone, that is – and the thought placated his body and his brain until that time would come.

Noel was happier than he'd ever seen her. With a small sense of disappointment, Charon realized how desperately he wanted to have been able to kiss and hold her during the light of day, being able to fully take in her features and her face. She talked incessantly with her dad, who was always several feet in front of them, paving the way with unprecedented accuracy towards Rivet City. Frequently she would look to her side to see Charon and would smile contentedly, occasionally rubbing his back or squeezing his fingers in her own as they walked.

Charon tuned out most of their conversation, but picked up on snippets here and there while scouring the wasteland for potential dangers. They talked about everything from the overseer (Charon still didn't know in the hell that was) to mirelurks. Right now they were discussing Noel's place in Megaton and caps. Charon raised an eyebrow at that conversation. Caps were apparently not something that they had used in the vault. It appeared that they had no monetary system in there at all. Strange. No wonder the girl was so generous with her caps, but if that were the case, why did she insist on scavenging and selling _everything_? He shook his head and laughed a bit to himself. She certainly was an enigma.

"The wasteland definitely has a solid financial structure," James was saying. "I'm glad to hear that you adjusted to it so easily. I'm sorry that I couldn't have told you about it earlier."

"It's no problem dad," Noel replied happily. "Though I have to admit that it took some getting used to, and I still think it's pretty strange." She laughed. "Bottlecaps for heaven's sake. If only Amada could hear this. She'd get a kick out of it!" She shrugged as she followed her father. "At least they're light," she ceded.

"That they are," James agreed, "and a universal system of trade no for all merchants no matter where you go. Traders in D.C. and as far as Pittsburgh deal in caps."

"Pittsburgh?" Noel asked. "How do you know about that?"

James laughed to himself, still forging ahead of the others. "I've heard."

Noel looked to Charon for confirmation. The ghoul wordlessly shook his head. He'd never been to Pittsburgh. He wondered where it was and if it was as bad off as the D.C. wastes.

"How much do you know about the merchants?" Noel asked her father. "You've been out here longer than I have, before the vault even. Are there merchants who travel to other cities? Is there a way to communicate to someone outside of D.C.?"

James sighed. "And who would you reach out to, darling?" he asked. "No. If there's any way to help our world it will come from right here in D.C., the nation's capital. Project Purity is only the beginning. You'll see." He looked back briefly, a smile on his face. "Besides," he added, "if it's got anything to do with merchants I'm sure you'd know better than I."

"What do you mean?" Noel asked.

He laughed. "I'm referring to your admirer, Timothy Wolfgang."

Noel opened her mouth, the color drained from her face before turning a sudden pink. "Dad!" she shouted. "You read my letter?"

Charon gritted his teeth. Crazy Wolfgang. The bastard. He'd almost forgotten.

James chuckled. "I wasn't trying to dear. I was packing up this morning and I stumbled across it. I don't know why you didn't tell me earlier."

Noel fumed. "There's nothing to tell, that's why."

"It doesn't sound like that to me."

Her mouth was agape, her cheeks deepening to a red. "Dad, I can't believe you went through my pack. Those are my private things!" She looked up at Charon, embarrassed, and immediately averted her eyes back to her father. Charon remembered that she'd never known he'd read the letter. He wasn't about to confess to it now.

"Dad," Noel groaned. "He's just a guy and I don't really even know him. I don't know what that letter's about or why he even wrote it."

James stopped briefly to look at his daughter. "It seemed pretty clear to me," he said simply.

Noel rolled her eyes and shook her head exasperatedly. "Never mind dad," she said, flicking her eyes to Charon before turning a hardened stare at her father. "Can we just drop it?"

James smiled, his eyes were gentle as he reached out to cup his daughter's chin in his hand. "You've changed so much since I've left you," he said sadly. "And I apologize. I know that you've had to change because of what has been forced on you. That's my fault." He smiled as she warmed to him. "But," he added, "you are still my daughter and I am still your father. And as your father I have a right to inquire about your male callers."

Noel looked at her father sternly. "He's not a caller dad. He's a trader, and I hardly know him."

"He seems quite smitten with you."

"Yeah well," Noel sighed, "he hardly knows me either."

James turned around and began heading towards Rivet City once more. "Be that as it may," he called over his shoulder, "if something were to… develop between you two, I'd want to meet that young man."

Noel followed without looking at Charon. She was still red, the blush reaching her neck and her ears. Charon would have found it adorable if he weren't thinking of that asshole, Wolfgang. Undoubtedly James would be far more approving of his daughter's involvement with the burly trader than he'd be of the ghoul. Though it didn't really matter, Charon rationalized. James would never need to know. In fact, no one would need to know. It would only make things harder for them if they did. He watched his master as he followed her footsteps. Charon would be perfectly fine carrying out their relationship in secret, though he doubted that Noel felt likewise. Somehow the girl was too honest, too earnest, to live that way. He hoped he was wrong. He didn't feel like justifying their relationship to anyone. The world already saw him as a mindless mutant, one who could be sent into a frenzy at the drop of a hat from any physical urge that came through him. Ghouls were thought to be incapable of emotion, unable to understand, and undeserving of love. Seeing him with the beautiful and coveted Noel would only intensify their hatred of him and all other ghouls. It would be easier, and safer, for them to keep whatever intimacy they shared between themselves.

It was something he would have to bring up later.

They traveled in silence then, Noel still upset about the intrusion on her privacy. James, unwilling to press the matter further. After several more hours they stopped to eat lunch. The conversation resumed, slowly at first, but then comfortable, both parties having forgiven the other. Charon knew that Noel wasn't the kind to stay mad for long. James, it seemed, was likewise. Charon smirked to himself. It was something that she'd probably never learn, but in this world it paid to hold a grudge. You could never really trust anyone.

They booked it for Rivet City as soon as the food was down their throats. Charon wolfed down his portion, causing Noel to remove a second, and then a third, from the pouch for him to eat. They made it to Rivet City shortly past midnight. James had refused to stop and make camp when they were so close to their destination so the party had pressed on. By the time they arrived all three were silent, dirty, and exhausted. James had rushed to the science lab, only to find it locked for the night, unable to reach Doctor Li. The three of them had to wake Vera at the hotel and ask for two rooms for the night.

Charon sat on the bed in his room, the same room that he and the girl had shared only days before, and watched as his master and James went into the adjacent room and shut the door. A few minutes later, Noel emerged and crept into Charon's room, closing the door save for a crack, and sat beside her guard on the bed.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, "but I think I'm gonna have to sleep with dad tonight. You understand, don't you?"

Charon looked ahead and nodded. He understood. He was too tired to argue even if he'd wanted to.

Noel kissed his shoulder and wrapped herself around his arm. He looked down at her with unreadable milky eyes. She reached up to kiss him, only to find his lips unmoving and irresponsive.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concern crossing her face.

Charon shook his head. "It is nothing. We had a tedious day and you should get some sleep." He sighed when he noted that she hadn't budged. "I am tired," he confessed. "I wish to sleep too."

Noel got up sadly and stood up to walk away. Charon reached out with big red hands to grip her stomach and pull her in front of him. She smiled as he leaned his head into her skin and stroked the back of his head with gentle fingers.

"It's okay," she soothed. "I understand. I'm tired too. Go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Charon could only shake his head. He didn't want her to go but he did. He was exhausted, but he wished he weren't. He still had so many things that he wished he could say to her.

Noel slipped from his hands, lowering herself to the floor so that she was below him again, looking at him with beautiful blue eyes. She kissed his hands, then kissed his lips, smiling as he kissed back. He suddenly shook his head and broke free from her. Tired and upset.

"What's wrong?" Noel demanded. "You're mad about something, I can tell."

Charon grumbled. "I am too tired to pursue this right now," he muttered. "It can wait until the morning."

Noel shook her head defiantly. "No, it can't. What's bothering you?" She watched as the ghoul brushed off her question, her face looking guilty. "It's Wolfgang, isn't it?" she asked.

Charon watched her through narrowed eyes. Yes, and no. Wolfgang bothered him, but not as badly as the idea of _Noel and Wolfgang_ together.

"Look," Noel spoke plainly, "it's nothing, okay? I'm embarrassed that dad even brought it up. Timothy wrote that note about him liking me, that's all."

Charon's eyes narrowed further. So it was _Timothy_ now?

She continued. "And it's not something I expected nor," she added, raising her eyes at the ghoul, "is it something that I want." She pursed her lips when Charon didn't respond. "I want you, okay? Just forget about the note."

Charon sighed. It wasn't her fault. She hadn't done anything wrong. He nodded slowly and kissed her gently, surprised at the ease by which he performed what he would have otherwise thought to be a bold move. He stood and pulled her to her feet, kissing her forehead and lips once more before ushering her out the door. He wished he weren't so tired. He could tell by the look on her face, seeing past the smile on her pretty lips, that her eyes lacked energy. She was drained too. She'd likely fall asleep in a matter of minutes.

He walked her quietly to her room and closed the door. Returning to his own, he flopped down on the bed, feeling oddly alone and empty without her sharing his space. He lay, exhausted, and imagined Noel's delicate form curled against him as he drifted to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

Morning seemed to take forever to come. Last night's sleep had been horrible. Despite being on a comfortable bed Charon tossed and turned all through the night, repeatedly waking up in an empty room and momentarily panicking before he'd remember that Noel was next door with her father. When daylight finally broke, Charon was more than ready for it. He hated being without the girl and he stood statuesque by her door until she and James came out to face the day.

James stepped out first, running a hand through his thick hair and regarded Charon with a look of surprise. He stared at the ghoul, who stood there with his arms crossed, one leg propped up beneath him, and cleared his throat.

"Good morning, Charon. I'll take it that you slept well?"

Charon nodded, his mouth a fine line. Where was the girl?

James looked around him uncomfortably, smiling and nodding politely as the Rivet City residents hurriedly rushed past by the stationary ghoul.

The scientist looked up at Charon, his light blue eyes seemed apprehensive. "I suppose that we should talk," he said cautiously. "I've never really had the opportunity to interact with… one of your kind before. I think there's a lot we could learn about each other."

Charon looked at James and raised an eyebrow. What the fuck was he going on about? Where was Noel? James seemed nice enough, but he didn't want to be hanging out with her goddamn father when he could be with her. He had half a mind to push his way into her room and drag her out himself.

James sighed, registering that he'd get no response from the ghoul. "But I suppose that will have to wait for now. Perhaps after we get situated with Project Purity we can get to know each other a bit better." He smiled politely. "If you don't mind, I'm going to head down to see if Madison's opened the lab yet. Please excuse me."

James nodded to the ghoul before brushing past him towards the ship's science deck. Charon watched for a second before turning back to Noel's door. Why would James want to get to know him better? Charon shook his head. It was nice of the scientist to try, but he wasn't interested. The only thing he cared about, the only thing he might ever care about, wasn't James – it was his daughter.

Charon waited for another few minutes before giving up and knocking on Noel's door, grumbling to himself. He didn't know where this relationship was going, but he didn't enjoy feeling like a goddamn teenager waiting outside her door like some lovesick puppy. Without waiting for a response, he pushed her door open and stepped into the room. Noel was sitting on the bed, running a small comb through her wet hair. She regarded the ghoul with a quizzical look.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked, taking in the sight of Charon's scowling face.

Charon looked at her, his frown slowly dissolved as he registered the small body, slender fingers, and clear white skin before him. He wanted to push her down onto the bed and kiss her, trapping her wriggling form beneath him. Instead, he shifted impatiently on his feet and said nothing. What he wanted to do and what he'd actually do were two very different things he realized. He may want Noel like mad, but he would wait for her for as long as he needed to. She was only nineteen after all and he assumed, based off her naivety with everything else, that she was equally inexperienced when it came to men.

Noel got up slowly and stepped in front of Charon. "I thought that with everything that's happed with us, that you might finally be able to talk to me." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the mouth, smiling as he kissed her back ever so slightly. "But," she said, lowering her heels to the ground, "I guess I can't have everything all at once, now can I?" She wrapped her slender arms around him, kissing his body where her head met his chest. "I'm spoiled enough as is I suppose."

Charon stiffened, resisting every urge in his body that demanded he wrap his arms around Noel and tumble her onto the bed. For her sake he wanted to go slow. Painstakingly slow, he realized, so that neither of them made any mistakes. This still felt like a dream to him, and having too much too soon would make them both reckless. He felt as though being with the girl was like trying to hold sand in your hands – he knew that he couldn't have her forever and he could feel their time together already beginning to slide out from between his fingers.

But Noel seemed insistent. Charon wondered where her confidence came from. She was innocent, yes, but determined. She fought hard for what she wanted and it seemed as though right now it was him. She nuzzled her face to his chest, kissing his armor and slowly working her way up his body. He did a poor job suppressing a groan as he felt her soft lips on his skin. God damnit. He was trying so hard to be good and she was_ not_ helping. His resistance crumbled when she made her way up his neck and he could hear her breathing in his ear. He grabbed her arms roughly and pushed her onto the bed, a shocked smile on her face as he removed his shotgun from his shoulder blades and crawled on top of her. He licked his lips and grinned through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing at the sight of her beneath him.

"Look at what you have started now," he growled. She giggled and pulled his mouth down to hers.

He kissed her hard, his body stiffening at the girl's muffled groans beneath him. Pressed over her he pushed her deeper into the bed, quickly opening her mouth with his tongue. He heard her gasp in surprise at the brashness of his move, but she opened willingly, taking his tongue into her mouth. Charon groaned as he kissed her, she tasted as sweet as he imagined she would, though she seemed a little unsure. She was letting him swirl his tongue inside of her, but wasn't responding with her own. Feeling hesitant now, Charon pulled himself up from the girl, watching in satisfaction as a thin strand of saliva between their lips broke. He realized that his breathing was ragged and heavy and that he had been grinding himself against the girl – unfortunate given the lengths he went through to keep her from feeling his bound erection just two nights back. She was breathing heavy too, her face flushed and her lips a roughened pink from Charon's kisses.

Charon leaned back into her delicately now, kissing her gently and stroking her porcelain neck as tenderly as he could. He slid down an inch so that he could kiss her jugular, feeling her rapid heartbeat beneath his lips. A low rumble came from him as he kissed her skin over and over. He had fantasized about this very act only days ago and now he couldn't believe that he was actually doing it. She whimpered above him, twisting slightly beneath his body. He ran his tongue over her skin, feeling her shiver beneath him, and kissed the wet tracts. Fuck, he never thought he could feel this good. He inched his way up to her ear, breathing heavy and taking her earlobe into his mouth. He sucked it gently, licking the space on her neck below, growling in approval as she continued to squirm and moan beneath him. _So much for taking it slow_, he thought, his willpower had crumbled almost instantly beneath the girl's touch.

Slowly he made his way back to her lips, happy as she feverishly kissed him and groaned into his mouth. He slid a thick tongue back into her and she responded instantly with her own. He raised himself onto his knees, letting the pressure off her body as they continued to kiss, her tongue coolly twisting over his. He sighed into her mouth, urging his tongue to go deeper, trying to swallow as much of her as he could.

She broke away first, pulling her head back from his prying mouth. Her eyes were bright as she happily regarded Charon. She kissed the remnants his nose playfully and kissed his closed lips again as he grumbled.

"You are a tease," he growled with a small smile, allowing her to slip out from under him. He lay on his back, and exhaled loudly, his arms spread wide. Noel lay to her side, hovering over him and kissed him tenderly. She smiled at the ghoul, brushing her nose against his rough cheek before promptly sitting up on the bed and chucking him on his leg.

"Com'mon," she urged. "We can't stay in here all day. Dad's gonna meet us at the science lab, and I'm sure Vera will be along any minute to clean up the room." She leaned back over Charon, wet hair dangled in his face as a sly smile crossed her lips. "I'm sure you wouldn't want her to find us here like _this_, now would you?"

Charon laughed to himself. Actually, he didn't think she'd mind. He'd certainly get a kick out of watching the stuck-up hostess's terrified reaction when she'd caught them in bed together. If it weren't for the goddamn Rivet City police coming after him (whom Vera would undoubtedly squeal to, along with the rest of the fucking city for sure), then he might even insist on it.

Noel kissed him again. "Come on, you! Let's go." She got up to her feet, and bent over to pick up her pack and her rifle, expertly shouldering them both in a matter of seconds. Her hands drew her wet hair back into a ponytail and tied it steady in one slick movement. Charon grumbled and followed suit. She was just about to open the door when he slipped his arms around her stomach from behind. She sighed, smiling as he lowered his head and kissed her shoulder. He felt so comfortable with her now, his arms resting over her stomach without a twinge of hesitation or uncertainty.

"I do not want this to end," Charon breathed against her neck.

Noel let out a laugh. "Well it has to, Charon. Dad can't wait all day."

He smiled and tightened his grip around the girl. "That is not what I meant. You know that," he growled.

Noel turned around, Charon's arms still wrapped around her body. She looked up at him, her blue eyes dreamily taking in his features as she pulled him down for a kiss. Charon pressed his lips to hers delicately, his milky eyes never leaving hers for a second.

"It's not going to end Charon," she said gently, kissing him again. "I want to be with you more than you'd ever know." He nuzzled his face against hers as she spoke. "Don't doubt that, okay?" she reassured, holding his face so that he was looking at her.

Charon nodded with his lips against hers, kissing her once more and savoring the taste of her before letting his arms drop to his side. He reached past her, opening the door, knowing that he couldn't touch her or even look at her the way he wanted to once they left this room. He clenched his jaw, reasoning with himself that it's simply the way things had to be. He eyed his master as she exited the room, his stomach flip-flopping as he took in her beauty. He smiled. Charon knew that he'd hide it from everyone if it only meant that he got to have her to himself. He'd do it every goddamn day for the rest of his life if he had to.

Noel grinned up at him, then turned around and led the way towards the science lab. Charon followed behind her as she took them through the winding corridors of Rivet City. He tried hard to ignore the stares coming from the residents of the city as they sized up his master – young, pretty, clean, and looking like a goddamn angel compared to the other shitsticks in the place. His hands clenched at his sides. _This is going to take some getting used to_, he thought to himself. He stifled a smile. Thank goodness Noel didn't even notice these pricks.

They found James, Doctor Li, and her slew of white-coated scientists assembled in the lab. James and Li were arguing when Noel joined the fray.

"No," James insisted. "We have to leave immediately Madison. We've waiting long enough."

"_We_?!" Madison Li spat. "You_ left_ us. You come back twenty years later and expect me to help? I'm supposed to drop everything I've been working on in order to pursue your fruitless dream?"

"Madison," James said patiently. "With the knowledge I received from Dr. Braun I'm sure we can get Project Purity running again."

"What about the mutants?" Madison fired, her hands rubbing her temple as though her head ached. "The brotherhood has left us. We haven't got their support and we can't clear out the memorial without their firepower. You know that!"

Noel jumped in. "Charon and I cleared it out," she spoke loudly. "It was only a few days ago. It should still be empty, and if it's not, we'll fix it."

Charon watched his master with a satisfied smirk. Ever the goody-two-shoes. His master: beautiful, wonderful, but stupid – she never hesitated to assist every ass backwards nobody in this goddamn wasteland. Li was obviously going to be a thorn in their side, but here was Noel, volunteering their services yet again.

"Please," Noel begged, "if dad says he can get the purifier running then he can." She looked at Madison and pleaded. "You know that if anyone can do it, dad can. If we back off of this now we may as well kiss Project Purity goodbye forever."

James placed his hand on his daughter's back and gave her an appreciative smile. "She's right Madison. You know that this is our last hope – the last hope of these people."

Madison seemed to be thinking of it. She chewed on her bottom lip, her brow furrowed in concentration. Finally she looked up at James.

"Can you really do it?" she asked him.

James smiled sadly. "Yes Madison, but I can't do it without you."

The scientist looked at Noel, her eyes quickly flicking to Charon and back. "And you?" she directed towards the girl. "You'll help with the mutants? You and this… thing," she said, eyeing the ghoul. "Can you have him kill off whatever supermutants are left?"

_I'll save one of them for you_, Charon thought, his cloudy eyes narrowing at Li.

Noel's mouth tightened to a fine line and her eyes grew hard. "Yes," she said forcefully, "and he's not a thing, he's a person. His name is Charon."

"Mmm," Madison murmured, brushing Noel off with a wave of her hand. "Fine. We'll go." She turned back to the girl with winged eyebrows. "You are absolutely sure that the memorial is clear? I don't want to lose any of my people because you failed to check a room."

Noel gritted her teeth and nodded curtly. James looked at his daughter and Charon apologetically. "Thanks," he whispered once Madison had walked away to get her gear together. "She may be a lot to handle, but she's got a brilliant mind. Let's leave for the memorial straight away. I'll meet you by the entrance of the city." With that he turned on his heel and walked away quickly, preoccupied with his thoughts.

Noel looked at Charon and shrugged. She turned towards him so that her face was just inches from his chest. "Thanks to you too," she whispered into his armor, "for not saying anything… inappropriate to Doctor Li." She smiled. "Though it seems," she teased, "that not saying anything is your forte."

Charon grumbled as he looked back towards the scientists' sleeping quarters. "Perhaps," he rumbled softly, "she should try it sometime."

Noel chuckled and pushed on him amusedly. He smiled at his master, watching her soft pale skin on his dark armor.

"Let's go," she said, pulling on his arm. "I've spent what feels like forever trying to catch up with dad and now it seems as though he's determined to leave me behind."

Charon smiled and nodded, following Noel as she led them towards the gate.

James was waiting for them by the metal bridge near the main gate. Some of Doctor Li's crew had already assembled and were shuffling on their feet looking anxious and impatient. No doubt they felt exposed out here, free from the city's solid metal walls and open to whatever dangers lay ahead. Charon and Noel unholstered their weapons and held them expertly before them as they headed down the bridge and stairs leading to the capital wasteland. The crew followed, speaking in hushed whispers, as though afraid that talking too loudly would magically make the mutants appear. James led the way, armed with a lone .32 caliber pistol and looking overconfident as he quickly guided them across the bridge and towards the memorial. Charon smirked as he watched the edginess of the crew behind him. Thankfully the memorial was only a short walk away. He didn't think the scientists' nerves could take it. Already a thin sheen of sweat was forming on their clammy faces. They held their .10mm pistols with shaky hands, jumping at every sound and looking as though they were about to be sick where they stood.

They had only just made it down the metal stairs and started out crossing the wastes when Charon heard a loud voice call out Noel's name. He immediately turned on the dry gravel and leveled his shotgun to his face in the direction where it came. The scientists, joined by Doctor Li now, crept close to the ghoul for protection, startled by the intrusion and looking even tenser than before. Noel had her rifle trained to her eye, aiming in the direction of the voice as well. Charon could have kissed her for her remembering her training but his mind was elsewhere, concentrating on where the voice had come from, and who the fuck it might be that would know his master's name and call it out so carelessly.

He saw the caravan round the corner of a decrepit building and he groaned to himself. James, the scientists, and Noel lowered their weapons and watched as the pack brahmin and crew came jogging to a stop beside them. Charon kept his shotgun level, his finger feeling suddenly itchy on the trigger as he watched Crazy Wolfgang's smiling face come into view. With a grimace he lowered his gun. Goddamn merchant.

"Noel," Wolfgang gasped, "I'm glad we caught you. I saw you on the bridge and we rushed to get here in time." He breathed heavily. "I'm happy to see that you're safe."

Noel nodded and pulled her face into a tight polite smile. "I'm glad to see that you're safe too, Wolfgang." The name made James's eyes shoot up. Without hesitation he stepped forward and extended a hand to the large winded trader.

"Hello. My name is James. I'm Noel's father."

Wolfgang smiled wide. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet you sir," he said in a booming voice, his large bear hands wrapping around the scientist's. "I'm Timothy Wolfgang. And this," he motioned to the caravan behind him, "is my wasteland family. My crew, if you will. We travel all over with our wares." He beamed at the girl. "Gosh it's good to see you Noel."

Noel cast a quick apprehensive look at Charon as Wolfgang brushed past James and moved towards the girl, cupping her small free hand in both of his.

"Did you get my letter?" he asked, his big eyes reading her face. "I left one for you with Lucky Harith. I hoped that you would have received it by now." He stood, towering over her, forcing a wide smile to hide his nerves. Charon grumbled and sucked in his breath, watching the merchant's large clumsy hands over the girl's.

"Um, I did Wolfgang," Noel said politely. "And I thank you for it. It was very sweet, but I --"

Wolfgang cut her off, exhaling deeply and smiling even wider so Charon was sure he could see every one of his large white teeth. "I'm so glad," he said looking at Noel. "I was worried that he would have missed you."

"Yes," Noel continued, "but I -- "

He cut her off again. "Afterwards, I was so upset with myself when I let you go in the memorial building alone." He sighed, his thick thumbs rubbing over her slim hand that he continued to hold in his own. "I felt so badly about what I'd done. What kind of a man am I to leave a girl on her own out in this?" He motioned with one hand at the rubble that surrounded them.

"No, really," Noel stammered. "I wasn't alone, I had Charon. It's fine." She looked apologetically at Charon who was glaring at the trader, his teeth bared behind his lips at the fact that the merchant was still holding Noel's hand. _His_ Noel. _ His_ hand.

"No," Wolfgang insisted. "It was a horrible thing for me to do. Please," he said, his voice loud and clear as he lifted Noel's hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Let me know what I can do to make it up to you."

Charon felt himself snarl at Wolfgang, clenching his teeth and glaring at the trader. He noticed James look from the trader to the ghoul, confused and apprehensive – unsure of what to make of the merchant's open and braze behavior.

Wolfgang seemed not to notice Charon, though his caravan guard didn't. He pulled his assault rifle closer to his chest and gave the tall ghoul a threatening look. Charon ignored it, intently staring at the trader in front of him. He hoped Noel would deck him herself. _Too nice to do it_, he thought angrily.

Noel pulled her hand back from Wolfgang quickly, her face reddening as she spoke. "We have to go now," she said abruptly. "I really can't stay to talk with you right now. I'm sorry."

James nodded, his eyes fixed on the merchant, the science crew behind him looking around, unsure and uncomfortable as though they missed something. "Yes," James said politely, taking his daughter's arm with his hand. "We really should be going. We're in quite a rush, you see. It was nice to have met you, though perhaps another time would be more suitable for conversation."

Wolfgang tossed his shaggy hair and laughed. "Oh no," he chuckled, his big smile and cheeks making his face look like that of a child's. He looked at Noel warmly. "No, no. You got away too quickly for me last time and I haven't forgiven myself for it yet. Please, allow me and my escort to accompany you." He flashed Noel a dashing smile. "It will be my way of making amends for leaving you on your own from before, and you'll have the additional protection of my guard and I. Where is it that you're going? Back to the memorial perhaps?"

James nodded, the scientists behind him brightened visibly at the thought of two additional armed men accompanying them on their short journey to the purifier.

Noel's lips were thin, her voice sharp but polite. "That won't be necessary Wolfgang. But I thank you for your offer."

Wolfgang laughed again. "Necessary, no. But it was your own words, dear Noel, when you said that we should all be a bit nicer to each other in the wastes. Please," he cut her a charming smile, "allow me to be nice to you."

Noel bit the inside of her cheek and nodded curtly. James exhaled deeply and released her arm as he turned back towards the memorial.

"Then," James said, his voice taking on a business like quality, "we should be going. Noel, darling, stay close. You never know what might be lurking out here."

Wolfgang immediately took up Noel's free arm in his own, his large frame dwarfing Noel's petite one. "I'll ensure that you make it there safely," he smiled at the girl, patting her hand with his huge paw. Charon couldn't watch this shit anymore. He growled deeply in his throat and pushed past them both. For the first time ever, he walked ahead of the girl, not wanting to see her arm in arm with the trader. He stuck close to James, the blood pumping in his ears as he willed himself not to turn around.

The large convoy began moving slowly towards the memorial, brahmin and all.

"Charon…" Noel's voice came, small and timid from behind him. Charon shook his head angrily. He didn't want to take her hand and hold her in public, yet he couldn't bring himself to watch her do it with anyone else either. In the eyes of others he was her guard – loyal, but inaccessible. He wanted to keep it like that. His eyes were blazing, his mind a dark cloud of things he'd like to do to Wolfgang as he sped up his pace. He followed closely behind James, stubbornly resisting every urge that pulled on him like wires, advising him to go back and take his place behind the girl. He felt his face grow red (well, more red) as he heard Wolfgang's voice dip to a low tenor, speaking soft words to Noel. Charon gripped his shotgun tighter, both thanking and cursing his luck that the merchant's voice was too low for him to make out what he was saying, else he may just have to shoot him right here and now.

They hadn't got far when he heard Noel's crunching footsteps come to a stop behind him. He wheeled around just in time to see her wriggling her arm free from the trader's, an upset expression on her face. Whatever he'd said to her couldn't have been good. Charon was at her side immediately and wrapped a red fist around Wolfgang's collar, dragging him away from the girl and roughly thrusting him backwards. He'd had enough of this asshole.

"Charon, stop!" Noel cried from behind him.

Charon grumbled, wiping his hand across his Talon armor as though Wolfgang had somehow tainted it. He steadied his shotgun with both hands and glared at the girl, suddenly angry at her even allowing the trader to touch her at all. He turned his back on them both, steadily walking towards the memorial, leaving open-mouthed scientists in his wake.

He heard Wolfgang's voice, deep and serious behind him. "Do you see what I mean," he spoke loudly, his voice carrying over for Charon to hear. "Ghouls are dangerous. That one especially. You can't trust him further than you can throw him. God knows what he'll do next."

Charon turned around and glared at the trader, his blazing opaque eyes narrowed. It seemed as though no one else dared to move, watching fixedly as Charon came walking back, his tall dark figure menacing against the brightness of the waste.

Wolfgang stood his ground in a stare down with Charon. He looked less like a big playful puppy now and more like a burly pissed off yao guai. His hired merc shifted the assault rifle in his hands as Charon came closer. Noel holstered her weapon and rushed towards the mercenary, successfully soothing his arms down with her own so that the rifle wouldn't be pointed towards Charon.

"You've got something to say?" Wolfgang asked, his deep voice challenging the ghoul as he came to a stop before him. "Spit it out." Charon was practically eye-to-eye with the man, noticing now how solid Wolfgang was built. No doubt he had his share of run-ins out in the wasteland and was a seasoned veteran by this point. The softer side that he exposed around Noel had faded away, leaving only the steely exterior of a hardened wasteland warrior. Charon smiled slightly. Wolfgang may be good, but Charon was better.

"Yeah," he growled at the merchant. "I do have something to say. Touch her with those hands again and I'm taking them."

"Charon…" he heard James's small voice, both a warning and a plea behind him.

Wolfgang smirked, his arms crossed confidently across his broad chest. "I really don't think it's your place to be making those kinds of calls, now is it? Or," he added, "perhaps you wish it were?"

"Wolfgang, that's enough," Noel said with as much authority as her little voice could muster. "Both of you, cut it out, right this instant. You're making a big deal out of nothing and you're acting stupid and childish." Her hands were still on the merc's assault rifle, keeping him from pointing it at the ghoul.

Charon looked at her, then back at Wolfgang. He smiled to himself.

"This is something I should have done the first time we met." With that, he pulled up his right arm and in one sharp fluid motion and struck the trader's handsome face with the battered butt of his shotgun. The blow sent Wolfgang reeling to his knees, his hands clutched the side of his face where Charon had hit him. Charon looked quickly at the merc who was shaking Noel off his gun, his eyes fixed on Wolfgang's slouched figure on the ground. Charon promptly leveled his shotgun at the mercenary, who looked up at him startled, lifting his arms to ready his assault rifle in return.

"Do not press your luck," Charon growled, his gravelly voice threatening. "I am done with him now."

After watching the startled merc for a second, Charon calmly lowered his shotgun to his side and turned around to face Wolfgang with a satisfied smile on his face. Noel was bent over the trader, checking on his face – the left side of which was beginning to swell and bruise along his cheekbone. Charon had been careful to avoid the jaw and nose. He didn't want to actually break the man's face, just to give him a warning. The Rivet City scientists and James stood stunned, unable or unwilling to move.

"Are you crazy?" Noel hissed at Charon. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Wolfgang smiled and winced as he stood up and brushed himself off. Despite himself, Charon had to give the guy credit for taking the blow like a man. "Don't worry about it Noel," the trader said, forcing a smile on his bruised face. "It just goes to prove my point about him. Really," he said looking tenderly down at the girl, "I'm okay."

Noel glared daggers at Charon. "It's not okay. You could have seriously hurt him!"

Charon gave a small smile and shrugged, satisfied that he finally got to punch the bastard. Well – not a punch exactly, but something pretty close and equally as gratifying.

"Don't worry about it, Noel." Wolfgang gave a small laugh. "Leave him here and let's be done with it."

Noel turned to look at the trader, her piercing eyes aimed at him now, erasing Wolfgang's smile in an instant. "I'm _not_ going to leave him." She looked back at Charon. "Though I do think he needs some time to cool off." She glared at him angrily, her normally bright blue eyes looking cold and foreign in their animosity. "Why don't you go back to Rivet City and come join us when you've learned to control yourself?"

Charon smirked down at her, somewhat amused by how angry she had become. "Is that a command?" he asked simply.

Noel stared at him with hard steely eyes. "It's a request," she said through gritted teeth.

Charon smiled, his low voice rumbling. "I do not see the point of your request and will not honor it. Unless," he added, "you were to join me." He laughed to himself, sure that the answer would get a rise out of the already entertainingly agitated Noel. In a way, it was rewarding to see _her_ getting upset for a change. He knew the girl would refuse to go with him to Rivet City, and he knew likewise that she wouldn't order him to go alone. She had already promised him that she wouldn't order him to do anything anymore, and she was always true to her word – something she was undoubtedly resentful of at the moment.

To his surprise, Noel took him up on his offer. "Fine," she hissed, "I'll come with you." She stepped away from Wolfgang and moved just inches from the ghoul as she lowered her voice. "But believe me, you are _not_ going to like it."

Charon stood like a statue, amusedly taking in the sight of the girl and the merchant (his face was purpling nicely now). He suddenly realized their companions assumed she would dismiss him back at the city, perhaps hiring a new mercenary to replace him before returning to rendezvous with the crew. He smiled wickedly at this realization and the kick he'd get at seeing their faces when he showed up at the memorial with Noel, right by her side as he'd always been. With a smile he looked down at his master.

"We should be on our way then," he spoke plainly in his rumbly voice.

"What?!" Madison Li screamed from behind him. "You can't leave us out here! What if there are supermutants inside? You said you'd clear them out for us!" Her voice was near hysterics.

Noel's expression changed instantly into one of apology as she looked at her father and Doctor Li. "I'm sorry," she said, the words rushing from her mouth, "but we've got to handle this first. If you wait, or if you want to go back to the city, we'll clear it out as soon as we can."

"This is ridiculous," spat one of Li's assistants whose name Charon had never bothered to remember. "Just leave the ghoul here and let's go. All this commotion is attracting God-knows-what out here. I just want to get inside."

"Noel," Wolfgang said gently, carefully choosing his words so as not to be reproached by the girl again, "I'll escort them to the memorial and make sure that it's safe. You can go back to the city and… handle things." He cut Charon a sharp look before reaching out and taking the girl's chin in his fingers, lifting her face to his. "I'll wait for you at the memorial."

Noel sighed and looked away, pulling her face from his hands. "You don't need to do that," she said in a low voice.

Wolfgang smiled, the act causing him to wince in pain. "It would be both a pleasure and an honor to escort your father and friends." He looked at Charon with cool hardened eyes before turning away from them both and waving a huge hand towards his merc. "Let's go. The memorial's only a short walk from here."

The scientists hurried to Wolfgang's side, leaving a silent Noel and Charon behind them.

James lingered behind and watched his daughter lovingly, "Are you sure, dear?" he asked. He looked at Charon apprehensively and sighed when Noel gave a small nod. "Alright then, we'll meet you at the memorial. Don't be long." He started to walk away, giving Charon the smallest of nods before quickly catching up to the group.

_Good guy_, Charon thought. _He may have wanted me to deck the bastard too_.

Noel's eyes were fiery as she glared at Charon and started walking back towards the city in a huff. Charon smiled to himself. She may not be talking to him now, but recalling the look on Wolfgang's face, Charon knew it was worth it.


	18. Chapter 18

"You're an absolute bastard," Noel spat at him as soon as they were safely inside the ship city's metal hull.

Charon smirked. "You just told me how nice I was the other day," he teased.

Noel glared at him. "Well I was wrong and you're a bastard."

She moved angrily down the ship's stairwell, followed closely by Charon. He wondered where they would go. No doubt she wanted to rip into him for decking Wolfgang (it had felt fucking great!) but would want to do it in relative private. He smiled to himself, wondering if she would rent out a room from Vera's just for the sole purpose of yelling at him in confidence. He chuckled. No, he doubted that. Maybe outside on one of the decks? But if that's the case, why was she climbing down?

He found that he really enjoyed Noel when she was angry – not enough to piss her off intentionally (he wasn't that cruel), but enough to feel more amused from her fiery glares than discomfort or guilt. The small red blotches that appeared on her cheeks and neck and her slit narrowed eyes made him want to cup her head in his hands and kiss her face all over. She was like a small cat, hissing and spewing and trying to be fierce. He'd seen some scary shit in the wastelands and Noel wasn't it. In fact, she was adorable.

The city residents they came across watched them cautiously, quickly moving out of their way as Noel stormed past with the amused ghoul. _She might be headed towards the museum_, Charon thought, _that place is always deserted._ He scoffed to himself at the idea of the museum within Rivet City. Most people didn't know or care to know about what their country had been like before the war had destroyed everything, and there certainly weren't enough visitors willing to traverse the wastes even if the interest _was_ there. When it came down to it, saving your own ass was more important than brushing up on broken American history.

Charon smiled with understanding as Noel pushed her way into the science lab. She may be ignorant about the way of the wastes, but she was smart in her own right. The lab was spacious, private, and more importantly abandoned, as Doctor Li and the rest of her staff were now headed towards the Jefferson Memorial. This would be the perfect spot for a little discipline, he agreed with a laugh.

When they reached the main floor Noel turned on him instantly. "What in God's name did you think you were doing out there?" she yelled. "There was absolutely no call for your behavior!"

Charon smiled, entertained by his master's unusual fury. "Maybe not," he ceded, "but it felt pretty damn good."

Noel's blue eyes widened, her mouth open. "_Felt_ _good_?!" repeated. "It _felt good_? Do you realize that you've just provided every trader in the wastes with a perfectly justifiable reason to shoot you on the spot?"

Charon shrugged nonchalantly. "Most would have taken the shot anyway." He looked at her through slanted eyes, a skewed smile on his face. "I am a ghoul, after all."

Noel gasped, maddened, her mind reeling. "I don't believe you," she huffed exasperatedly. "It's as though you _want_ to give people a reason to hate you!"

Charon growled. She didn't seem to understand. She couldn't know without having lived a day as a ghoul. "People will hate me regardless of reasoning."

"Then why did you punch Wolfgang, huh? He did nothing to you!"

Charon bared his teeth and lowered his face just inches from Noel's. "He did enough," he snarled.

"Did enough? What are you talking about?!" Noel pushed a finger into his chest, her face was red and her blue eyes looked stormy as she stared up at the ghoul. "He held my hand, that's all. _You're_ the one who was out of control! You can't just go hitting people if they do something you don't like!"

Charon stepped back and crossed his thick arms against his chest. "Why should I not?" he asked simply, his chalky eyes narrowed at the girl. "It was obvious to me that you were not going to."

"Why should I?!" Noel practically screamed. "He did _nothing_!"

"Those were not his intentions," Charon snarled.

Noel was livid. "He has never been anything but nice to us!"

Charon smiled cynically. "He is not nice to us, he is nice to you. Despite being one you do not understand the nature of humans," he grumbled. "People are only nice because they desire something in return." He lowered his head to the girl, his eyes glaring. "You do not understand the basis for his behavior."

Noel threw her hands into the air, looking around in frustration. "So it's _my_ fault?" she asked. "_I_ don't understand? No," she stepped closer to the ghoul, poking him in the chest with a finger again. "_You_ don't understand. Not all people are like that Charon. You're just too bitter and jaded to see it."

"He wants something from you," Charon warned indignantly.

"No," Noel sighed, suddenly looking tired. "He doesn't."

Charon felt his face growing hot and red. Try as he might to make her understand she just couldn't see. How could someone be so smart and yet so stupid?

"He does want something from you and you know it! He's made that much clear already!" he snarled at the girl.

"What are you talking about?" Noel sighed, sounding fatigued.

"He wants to be with you," Charon growled. "It is fairly obvious with the things he's said. You struck a chord in his soul, or have you forgotten?"

Noel shook her head, rubbing her eyes with a thin hand. "He said nothing of the sort, Charon. You couldn't hear what he was saying and it wasn't that." Then slowly it dawned on her. She raised her narrowed eyes and looked at the ghoul, her energy and fight returning with each second of this new realization.

"You read my letter!" She screamed. "When did you… how did you…?!" She turned away from him, fuming. "I can't believe you!" Her eyes were wide and she looked at the ceiling, aggravated. "You and dad both read the letter! Am I to have _no _privacy?"

She turned back to him before Charon had a chance to respond. "When did you read my letter? And what gives you the right to think that you could?"

Charon smiled, his cold eyes on Noel. "I read it shortly after you did. His intentions with you are not so innocent. I suggest that you put him in his place."

Noel hissed at him. "I think I should put you in yours! You had _no right_ to read my letter!"

Charon nodded automatically. "You are correct. I had no right to read your letter. But," he added, narrowing his eyes at the girl, "he had no right to touch you."

Noel scowled at him. "I can handle myself," she spat.

"Then do it!" Charon screamed at her. "Do it so that I do not have to!"

Noel looked taken aback by his brief outburst of emotion, but it dissipated in an instant. "Is that what this is all about?" she asked. "Is this all because he held my hand? You're willing to get shot over _that_?"

Charon said nothing, angrily drawing his lips to a line.

"It's nothing," Noel spat.

"Then next time, kindly remove him yourself," Charon growled.

Noel rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling, shaking her head in frustration. "You're infuriating, do you know that?" She looked back at the ghoul. "Fine. Have it your way. He won't come within a foot of me, but you," she edged closer to him now, her narrowed eyes looking up at his. "You need to go back and apologize."

Charon gave a small smile and shook his head. "I will do no such thing," he said coolly. He wouldn't give the fucker the satisfaction.

Noel glared at him. "Then you are a bastard."

Charon smiled wider and nodded. He never claimed to be a good guy, those were her words entirely.

Noel pushed past him angrily, heading towards the laboratory door to go back into the city. "Don't talk to me," she threatened.

Charon flashed his arm out and grabbed her elbow as she passed, drawing her close to him. "Do not let him touch you," he warned, his voice low and deadly.

"Don't worry about me," Noel muttered angrily, "you just worry about controlling that temper of yours." She tried to pull away, looking up at him heatedly as he refused to let her arm loose.

Charon said nothing, but his anger lost its edge as he looked at the girl. Though her eyes remained severe and cold towards him, he could tell that she still cared. More than that – she loved him, he realized suddenly. He swallowed hard, his heart thumping, emotions abruptly shifting from anger to… what was it? Fear?

_Stupid girl_, he thought. _ Stupid me. How did this happen? This_ _can't end well for either of us_.

Noel maintained her harsh glare and Charon's heart ached with the knowledge that the love she felt would doom them both. It wasn't crazy for ghouls to obsess over humans. It was expected in its own sick way (or at least, it was expected in the ghoul community. Humans would no doubt have a very different take on the matter). On the other hand, a ghoul falling in love with a human was different. It was discouraged, but it wasn't unusual – so long as they did it from afar and understood that their feelings would never be reciprocated. After all, ghouls knew their place in the wasteland, and it wasn't with the humans. In his many years Charon had never had any issue with it – he thought himself incapable of such feelings until he met the girl. But now here she was, and she loved him in return? Curiosity was one thing, but love was something entirely different. This was bad. They'd be liable to get lynched on both sides for this one. It was a tragedy waiting to happen.

Yet he loved her and he couldn't deny that. Charon groaned as he bent down to kiss the girl, wrapping his thick arms protectively around her small body. Whatever happened, whatever consequences arose from this thing between them, he'd take it on in a heartbeat.

Noel was still angry, writhing and pushing against him. Charon continued planting delicate kisses until she caved beneath his lips. A lone hot tear fell from her face as she returned the ghoul's embrace. Charon didn't ask about the tear. He didn't want to see her cry, but he didn't want to see another man cuddling up to his girl either. This whole thing between him, her, and the world – it was more of a mess than he cared to think about.

"I'm so sorry," she heaved into his chest. "I don't want to be angry at you." She wiped the tear away and looked up at him, her face pink, but calmed. "But you _were_ a jerk to Wolfgang," she added, pushing on his thick stomach. "He didn't deserve that."

She hugged him harder. "You've got a point though. I am sorry that I didn't push him off me as soon as I saw him. I just didn't know what to do. I'm not really used to that kind of attention." She pushed on him again. "Still, that doesn't give you the right to hit him."

Charon nodded, his mind coming back to the present moment. Did he have the right? Probably not. Should he have? Definitely.

He kissed her forehead and let loose a long sigh. She felt so good with him and he didn't want to imagine anyone ever trying to pull something on her akin to what the trader wanted. The thought made him want to choke.

She reached up and delicately pulled his face to hers, planting a long slow kiss on his rough lips. She kept their heads together as they parted, her eyes closed as she breathed to him, "Please don't do that again."

Charon kissed her back and nodded with his lips pressed to hers. He wouldn't do it again. Wolfgang needed a warning, that's all. If Noel kept her word, he wouldn't have the need to provide the trader with a second. Charon smiled as the girl continued to kiss him, thankful that he was instantly forgiven in her eyes. In this case he was glad that Noel didn't hold a grudge, and that he could, now and forever, instantly go back to being her Charon.

He felt his body unconsciously respond to her kisses and he broke away slowly. "I think we should join the others. They may be worrying about you."

Noel nodded without comprehension, her eyes looking hazy as she pulled him down for another kiss. Charon obliged with one short kiss before breaking their embrace again and stepping back.

"Let's go," he said briskly, turning on his heel towards the science lab's closed door. He couldn't afford to get carried away with her right now. Not when she was standing there, looking small and fragile and helpless. It'd be too easy to lose control of himself and send their relationship spiraling too far too fast. Already it was getting increasingly difficult for him to hide his feelings for her. Charon was used to being thorough, slow, planned, and methodical. The fact that the girl could make him abandon all of that in a matter of seconds was exceedingly dangerous.

Charon was halfway to the door when he felt Noel's slender arms wrap around his stomach from behind. She brought his hands up to his chest and gripped his muscle as she kissed his back through his armor.

"I don't like arguing with you," she sulked.

Charon turned around and held her, trying to ignore the pull in his groin as he felt her velvety skin against his own. "I do not like arguing with you either," he admitted, "though you are quite endearing when you are angry."

Noel rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile. "There can't possibly be anything endearing about it."

He shook his head, adamant. "No," he pressed, "It is endearing. You are quite cute when you are overcome with anger." He pat her head. "Like an angry kitten," he added.

Noel scoffed and gave a small laugh. "Only you would find something like that funny." She arched an eyebrow at him. "You've got a sick sense of humor."

Charon gave a small chuckle and growled as he lowered his head to hers. "I did not say funny," he repeated, "I said cute."

Noel smiled and kissed him, long and slow. "I'm sorry I called you a bastard," she said apologetically. "I didn't mean it you know. I was upset. You're not a bastard. Not nearly."

"Mmm." Charon murmured. He closed his eyes and rested his head against Noel's, breathing in the smell of her skin and hair. He felt like a bastard, especially now with the things he was thinking of doing to her.

"But," she added, prodding him through his armor, "I don't want you going through my stuff either, okay? In the future, let's share things with one another at our own discretion. Got that, you big snoop?"

Not waiting for a response, Noel tiptoed up for another kiss, wrapping her thin arms tightly around Charon's neck. The ghoul obliged her, picking her up with his strong arms as though she weighed nothing and kissing her back deeply. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and he smiled, automatically responding with his own. The lab was empty, silent, save for the rhythmic drip of water somewhere in the distance and the soft wet sound of their kissing. She seemed confident with him now, expertly twisting the ghoul's tongue in her own, her hot breath making his pants feel all the tighter. She let lose little whimpers into his mouth, her tongue gliding around his, gentle but passionate. Charon groaned, unable to think with her on him like this, his body reacting on instinct at the things she was doing to him, the sound of her muffled moans causing the blood to rush to his head, stifling all reasonable thought.

She gasped, pushing herself further up him with her elbows, breathing heavily against his ear as Charon began to kiss his way down her neck. The ghoul's rough lips against her sensitive skin caused her to sigh in pleasure, her cheeks flushed as she tilted her head back and arched her neck, allowing him easier access. Charon held her tight, continuing to kiss the milky skin, his brain feeling dizzy from the surplus of stimulation. She eased herself back down and met his mouth with her own, their tongues instantly entangled together. Christ she felt good. He couldn't think. He didn't want to think. Dear God, please let him stay like this forever.

He held her for a long time, her small feet dangling above the metal floor as they kissed. Eventually Charon registered a muted ache in his jaw, his mouth felt thick and heavy at having been open wide for so long, compelling his tongue to reach more of her and to drink her deeper. He groaned realizing, in what must be his first coherent thought since this started, that poor Noel's jaw must be absolutely killing her at this point. He leaned down and gently landed Noel back on her feet, staying bent as they continued to kiss, intentionally keeping his midsection away from hers. Finally he broke away, swallowing the taste of her saliva. He looked at her red mouth, the skin around the edges of her lips was already beginning to rub raw. He took her small head in his hands and kissed the bridge of her nose, feeling guilty for having hurt her, even if in an inconsequential way.

Noel's lips were immediately on his again and he groaned against himself as he pushed her off. "No," he said shaking his head, his voice gravelly and serious. "We have to end this now."

Noel kissed him again, shaking her head slowly at his stupid idea.

Charon was surprised at his own willpower as he pushed away from her. "Noel," he urged, his voice thick with desire, "please, we must stop now."

She looked back at him, her face confused as she tried to register his words. "Why?" she asked.

Charon muffled a groan. "We must stop now," he breathed heavily, "or I will be unable to do so later." He watched her apprehensively, wondering if she would get the meaning of his words.

She did. She smiled slyly up at him, her eyes clear as she slowly wrapped her arms around the ghoul. Charon stiffened as she gently pressed against his bulge. She craned up and kissed him sweetly, smiling as they broke apart. "Who says that I'll want you to stop?" she asked in an innocent voice.

Charon's eyes darted around her face, quickly searching for some indication that she was joking. There was none. Damn. He was trying so hard. He felt mentally spent as he shook his head at her. "You do not know what you are saying. Let us go before this can develop any further."

"Charon…" Noel sighed, pulling him down a long slow kiss. She had only just slipped her tongue gently into his mouth when he pulled away quickly and stepped back from her.

"No," he said forcefully this time. "This will not happen now. You do not know what you are doing and you are too young – a child," he added against his better judgment which, at the moment, was in exceedingly short supply.

Noel eyed him warily. "A child?" she repeated. She shook her head, her blonde ponytail waving behind her. "I'm not a child, Charon. I'm nineteen for heaven's sake."

Charon rolled his white eyes. "You are still a child."

She looked up at him, unsure. "Is that what you think of me?"

He looked at her. Yes, fuck, she was still a child. He wished to God she weren't, but his hundred years of experience in this world colored the way in which he viewed it. She was still too young, too impulsive. People her age didn't know what they wanted or who they wanted. Yet when he looked into her eyes, he could see. He knew it was there as clearly as he knew what he felt too. The thought terrified him. She loved him. She would always love him. Something about him would be with her forever and he wasn't sure what it was, why it was, or if he was even worthy of it.

"Charon," Noel stepped closer to him when he didn't respond. "Do I _feel_ like a child to you?"

The ghoul closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. No. She felt like she was made for him, like she was born to fit into his arms.

"Good," Noel said softly as she stopped against her guard. "Charon," she said, looking into his milky eyes. "I _want_ to be with you. _This_," she pulled him tightly, ignoring the uncomfortable grimace on his face as the swell in his pants pressed up against her, "is what I want. _You _are what I want, idiot," she added with a sly smile. "How often do I need to reassure you? How else can I possibly show you?" She kissed his chest and smiled secretly. "Though I'm sure I can find a way…"

Charon draped his thick arms around her back and bent low to kiss her gently. He cursed himself for his lack of resolve as the words left his mouth. "Are you sure?" he whispered, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. "There will be no going back from this."

Noel smiled and looked at him tenderly. "There never was," she whispered back. Her eyes were bright and clear and stayed open as she kissed him again. "Yes, Charon. I'm sure."


	19. Chapter 19

_*Note: This is probably the only chapter that will ever come with a disclaimer. If you read the last chapter you can safely assume what's coming next. If not, I won't say much; suffice to say that the contents of this chapter are a bit risqué (i.e. smutty, although hopefully in a tasteful way if at all possible). Reader be warned. Continue at your own discretion.*_

The science lab was empty, the doors sealed against the crowded bustle of Rivet City. Charon bent low to pick up the girl, wrapping one arm around her back and another beneath her legs as he drew her tucked body to his chest. She continued kissing him, her tongue sliding over his own making it hard for him to breathe and think at the same time as he slowly carried her towards the scientists' living quarters. He was thankful that the science crew was on their way to the memorial right now, and somewhere in the back of his mind (beneath the layers of lust that developed with each of Noel's successive kisses) was the idea that Madison Li would pitch a fucking fit if she saw what they were doing in her lab. The thought made him want to laugh aloud.

He entered the living quarters, pushing the heavy metal door open easily with a free leg. His body surged with adrenaline; the charges from their intense kissing left his skin feeling goddamn electric. A small voice inside his head rioted. It wasn't right, what he was about to do to her. She didn't understand what she was doing or she'd soon regret it afterwards but he – fuck, _he_ should know better. All the same, the voice was easy to drown out under Noel's sweet unrestrained kisses. He clutched the girl closer to his chest as he made his way towards one of the small cots, enjoying the way her delicate fingers stroked the back of his neck as he held her.

He placed her down gently, keeping her back off the bed long enough for him to slide sturdy fingers behind it to unhook her rifle and pack. He took it off easily and slung it over a nearby chair before doing the same with the gear holstered on his back. He crawled over her slowly as she kissed him and pulled at his armor, suddenly stopping as his brain registered what was happening. Noel fumbled with the dark blue talon armor, chuckling softly as she kissed his mouth. She paused when she realized he wasn't responding and she pushed herself up on her elbows.

"What's wrong?" she asked, breathless.

Charon didn't answer. He looked into her eyes, kicking himself for his own stupidity. He wished he hadn't stopped. He wished he could have blindly followed his desires, fueled by her fervent kisses, to its natural and highly desirable conclusion. Instead he had snapped back to reality and was faced with the conscious decision of whether or not to continue. It would have been so much easier to have just done the deed and looked back on it later as a momentary lapse in his normally steadfast control. Now all possibility of that was shot. If they did this, it would be a deliberate act on his part. If this ended things between them it would be something he grieved about forever. Charon didn't know if he could live with that kind of bittersweet regret. He was strong, but he didn't know if he was _that_ strong.

Noel sat up on the bed, kissing him tenderly, her eyes large and sympathetic. She stroked the back of his neck, her fingertips lightly trailing down his tattered skin. He was a monster. A mass of ugly exposed muscle and tissue. Death incarnate. How could she ever stand to look at him again after this?

He shook his head sadly as he returned her kiss. He didn't want to tell her what he was thinking, worried that if the words left his mouth they may form a thought in her brain that wasn't already there, changing her mind entirely about him. She kissed him again and rested her head in the crook of his neck, breathing against his skin.

"Charon," she soothed, "I want this. I've told you that. But if you're not ready that's fine. We can wait." She looked at him patiently. "We can put this off until whenever you feel comfortable."

Charon would have laughed if he weren't so goddamn nervous. She was telling him to wait? After all the fantasies and dreams and nights spent jacking off to the thought of her? Had he lost his nerve? It was too funny. Charon sighed. It was time to make a choice.

He gave a small smile as he kissed her. "No," he grumbled, "I do not want to wait." He nuzzled his face against hers, breathing her in deeply. He hoped he wasn't making a huge mistake. Regret was not something he was used to living with.

Noel smiled and chuckled nervously. "Thank God," she laughed. "I didn't want to wait either."

She reached for him again as the ghoul, more aggressively than he would have liked, slid his tongue into her mouth. She started to lie back onto the bed but Charon stopped her. It would be easier for them both to undress if they were sitting. He gripped her delicate face in his hand, breathing so heavily that he could register his armor pushing outward with each in and exhale. He slid his large fingers behind her head nervously, feeling her smooth hair over his calloused fingertips and knuckles. He reached up and, as gently as he could, pulled the elastic band loose, freeing her thick blonde hair over her shoulders. He pulled the strawberry hair to his face and kissed it delicately. It looked so unnatural in his hands, like something that came from another world, and he relished the sight of its simplicity against his ragged skin. Noel gave an anxious laugh before pulling the ghoul in for another kiss.

They moved slowly now, carefully, being almost humorously cautious with one another. Charon sighed softly into his master, gingerly moving a hand across her breastbone to find the zipper of her armored vault suit. She looked incredible; her powdery eyelids were closed dreamily as she kissed him. Charon pulled the zipper down slowly, ready to quit at any indication of discomfort or unease from the girl. When he got the zipper down to her navel he stopped, gently sliding his hand inside the fabric to lift it away. His rough fingers touched her soft abdomen and she uttered a small unintelligible sound into him, her body stiffening nervously at his touch.

Charon gently broke away from their kiss and looked at her, more exposed to him than she'd ever been before. She was like nothing he'd ever seen. Even in his dreams he couldn't come up with something so goddamn beautiful. He reached up with both hands, gently pulling the armored vault suit off until it slumped to the bed. Noel kissed him but got no response. She smiled as she watched him watching her. He couldn't take his eyes away.

Her skin was perfect. Years of being almost entirely covered by the fucking suit, coupled with living in the sunless underground vault, had left her body pale and flawless. Her complexion was a soft creamy white, absent of any imperfection. Her breasts were small, but perfect, lifted gently by a plain white bra. In the back of his mind he wondered how she could have kept the undergarment so clean in the dirty wasteland, but he shook the thought away impatiently. He had more important things to think about right now. _ Far_ more important.

Her breasts heaved slowly up and down as she tried to control her breathing. Charon leaned forward and lowered his head to kiss her ivory skin. He moved his lips at the top of one of her breasts and he felt her breathing quicken, her hand moved to the back of his head, fingers gently stroking his patchy thin hair. Charon delicately gripped her breast, thinking it was the perfect size for his hand. The feel of her velvety skin beneath his hand made him stiffen even more. He reached around her with one hand, trying to find the clasp of her bra. She kissed the top of his head and continued to caress his tattered skin, her fingers moving liquidly across the irregular patches of skin and exposed muscle. Charon growled as he found the clasp but was unable to open it with one hand. As he struggled with it she broke her kiss with a laugh, resting her cheek on his head.

Charon smirked and kissed the other breast, reaching out so that both hands were behind her working on the bra. In a matter of seconds it was off. He pulled the straps from her shoulders as he lifted his head away from her chest, watching as he stripped the bra from her small body. He kissed her hard now, his brain holding onto the image of her two perfect breasts and their small pink nipples, erect and glorious before him. He moved his tongue into her mouth at the same moment he placed one hand over her breast, groaning into her at the feeling of the boob's small weight in his hand. She kissed him back just as intensely, her fingers prying at his armor, trying to work it loose from his body. He ran a rough thumb over the pink bud and she gasped sharply, taking in air before returning to kiss him. She whimpered as he continued his caress, squirming where she sat from the pleasure of it as he slowly applied more pressure. Charon pulled his hand away after a minute, unfastening his armor from his body with practiced hands. He pulled it over his head in one quick movement, breaking their kiss for only a second before throwing it to the floor.

She had seen his chest before, but he hadn't felt like this then. He groaned as he pulled her body against his, his penis pushed against his pants painfully now, demanding release, as he felt her naked breasts on his chest. With his mouth still locked with hers he pushed her down on the bed, shuffling her small body as close to the top as he could. He positioned himself above her, opening her legs gently with his knee before cradling himself between them. He pushed against her and she moaned in response, his penis grinding against her through their clothes. He dragged himself down suddenly, his need becoming more intense as his open mouth found her naked breast. He took her nipple into his mouth. She gasped and writhed beneath him, her stomach heaving, words unintelligible as he sucked hard on her tit. He played with the other one breast with his free hand, griping and pinching her nipple between his rough fingers. Sucking on her felt so unbelievably good. If he weren't so goddamn worked up he could imagine staying like this forever, sleeping with his scarred red face nestled between her ivory breasts.

But he was worked up. Painfully so. Things were moving much faster now and his body responded accordingly, his heart pumping wildly, his head dizzy. He moved his hand from her chest to his pants that pulled uncomfortably against his crotch. He lifted his hips off of her and quickly pried the buckle on his belt open, dragging it from his body in one long movement. He stopped, his mouth still on her breast, as he felt her hands on his pants, her small fingers clasping at his button and zipper. He smiled, satisfied, as she successfully unzipped his pants and tried to work them off his body. She couldn't get very far without his help though, and he wasn't about to give it to her just yet.

Groaning, his mouth left her breast and wound its way down her flat stomach. He enjoyed being surrounded by her milky skin and kissed her as gently as he could, inhaling deeply, enraptured by the smell of her. He stopped his kisses where the vault suit lay, half-undone, around her hips. He sat up on his knees, looking down at her. She was breathing quickly, her face looking flushed, her body looked mind blowing – entirely his for the taking. He smiled and gave a low victorious growl, his broad chest heaving heavily with every breath. His fingers went to the last of her one-piece vault suit, zipping it down until it reached the end of its track. With a misplaced nervous laugh he reached behind him and quickly pulled the shoes and socks off Noel's feet, tossing them absently to the floor. She started to sit up and pull at his pants again but he eased her back down by pulling at her clothes instead. She lifted her hips carefully from the bed, allowing Charon to slip the last of the faded blue suit from beneath her body. He peeled the jumpsuit from her legs, admiring the tightness of her muscles and the pale of her skin.

Traveling the wastes had kept her goddamn fit. Her muscles curved at all the right places, her skin tightly stretched across them, glowing like the moon under the fluorescent lights above. He rubbed his rough hands over her smooth calves and thighs, visibly shuddering with pleasure at the feel of her buttery skin. He couldn't experience anything better than this right now. Not if he lived for another hundred years. He looked down at her, nearly naked beneath him. Her eyes looked brilliant in the light, her pink lips slightly parted from her irregular breathing. Charon groaned at the sight of it, quickly laying himself over her again, taking her tongue instantly with his own.

She let out a loud whimper as his hand made its way to her panties. He slipped his fingers beneath the cotton near her hips, pulling them easily down her body. The sight of him stripping the thin panties from her legs made him that much harder. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen – the small thin piece of flexible fabric in his hand – knowing that it was all that separated her sweetness from him. He groaned loudly and returned his mouth to hers, kissing deep, desperate now for this hunger to be satisfied.

As he kissed he ground himself harder into her naked body, his bulge rubbing against her, eliciting moan after moan from the girl. He reached down with a hand and rubbed her clit with a finger, causing her to let out a sharp cry, her body quivering beneath him. He reached lower, stroking her faster, his fingers going in only an inch before pulling back out. They become increasingly slick with her wetness as he played with her. She writhed in response to his touches and Charon slowed, unable to ignore the pull of his groin that demanded that he enter her. Needing to find his own release he brought his hand to his pants, working them down as quickly as he could.

He wasn't entirely sure of what Noel's reaction to him would be. The sudden thought made him hesitate. His shit was intact at least, though it was raw and red like the rest of him. He felt the head of his penis twitch under his clothing. He couldn't think clearly anymore.

Charon got up and stood up by the edge of the bed, Noel's fingers on his stomach. He loosened his shoe laces, and removed his boots and his socks, tossing them quickly to the floor. She sat up, her breasts jiggled slightly from the movement, as she eased his pants off his hips and down his thick thighs. Her hand touched his erection through his dark boxers and she smiled nervously as it responded to her touch. Charon watched her, trying to gauge her reaction.

But her face was blank as she concentrated on his body before her. She pulled his boxers down slowly, laughing with anxious energy as they caught awkwardly on his penis. She worked her way around the protuberance without his help, letting the shorts slump to his feet. She held his long penis in her pale hand as she took in the sight of him, examining or admiring (Charon couldn't tell which right now. Goddamn, she was touching his dick for Christ's sakes). She gave a sly smile, as she ran her finger over the tip of his swollen head then down the length of his shaft, her voice remarkably calm.

"It's the first one of those I've ever seen," she said in a small voice. She laughed suddenly. "I do sound like a child, don't I?"

Charon shook his head, smiling faintly. No. She didn't sound like a child. She sounded like Noel. Uncomfortably honest Noel. Opening up about herself with his dick in her hands. It was funny in its own way.

His smile disappeared instantly as he watched her stroke the base of his penis, pulling on his skin in a way that caused him to grunt in response. She looked up at him, her eyes angelic, her smile wicked. She pulled on him harder now, and Charon grit his teeth, closing his eyes against the feel of her soft hands tugging on his sensitive skin. He shivered and opened his eyes with a start as he felt her lips at the base of his penis. He looked down and groaned at the sight of her velvet lips kissing his shaft. Her eyes were closed, looking peaceful, as she opened her mouth and ran her tongue down his tight skin. He shuddered, unable to stop the reaction, as his penis pulled even more uncomfortably, the tightness in his groin made it impossible to think. He opened his mouth but no words came out, only a ragged gasp as he watched her oval lips take the head of his dick into her mouth. He stood, his body felt as though it was trembling, as he watched her begin to suck on him. She moved slowly at first, cautious as of how deeply she could take him, carefully enveloping the broken patches of skin and tissue with her mouth and tongue. Charon groaned as he watched her take the length of him in her mouth, her lips coming to an end against the base of his shaft. She had all of him in her, no doubt having swallowed him deeply into her throat. Charon growled with pleasure. She was too fucking good to him.

Noel moaned as she slowly began moving her head towards and away from him. The feeling of her hot wet mouth sucking hard on his dick was almost too much for him to take. He clenched his fists to his side, wanting to grab onto something that wasn't available. He resisted the overwhelming urge to twist the girl's hair around his hands, speeding her pace so he could come inside of her. Instead he simply stood there, groaning in pleasure, as he watched his master's head bobbing against him. Her hands gripped the base of his shaft, as though he were going to escape, his balls lightly slapping against her smooth skin as she pulled herself closer to him. She was moving quickly now – too quickly, letting loose little moans that made Charon absolutely crazy with want. His nerves felt like they were sizzling, and without warning he pushed her off of him, fighting the urge to come, as he heaved her desperately to the bed. He growled as he crawled on top of her, positioning himself as quickly as he could over her opening, kissing and biting and sucking on whatever piece of her he could get his mouth on. She was panting beneath him, pulling on his back when his mouth found hers. They kissed feverishly as Charon pried her legs open wider with his hand. Noel broke from his kiss and gasped into his ear when she felt his head rub up against her opening.

"Be gentle," she requested in a small fluttery breath.

Charon nodded, trying to keep her appeal in mind as his body, electric with want, demanded anything but gentleness. He reached down and gripped the head of his penis between his fingers, guiding it carefully to her opening. He felt for a second, ensuring that she was good and wet, before he slid the head in as delicately as he could. He bared his teeth like an animal, grunting at the feeling of her tight cunt gripping his sensitive skin.

Noel bit her lip from the pain, her eyes wincing at the discomfort of him in her. Charon looked at her, breathing heavily. "Should I stop?" he asked without thinking.

She shook her head vigorously. "No, don't stop."

Charon was more than happy to obey. He slid the rest of himself into her quickly, ignoring the pained look on her face, hoping that the sooner he was inside, the sooner she would begin to feel better. He had always assumed she was a virgin. Now he knew. He grinned, not just from the feeling of her gripping his dick tightly inside of her, but at the knowledge that he had been the first and the only one to fuck her.

All the way in, he reassessed how she was doing. He kissed, waiting patiently for her to open her eyes so he could see if she was okay. Eventually she did, her eyes looking somewhat distant, but otherwise fine. "It's okay," she reassured him. "Keep going."

Charon complied readily, moving slowly against her now, both for her sake and his. He didn't want to hurt her any more than he needed to. He would go slow, to ebb the pain away and to acclimate himself to the feeling of the tightness and hotness of her surrounding his dick. He thrusted into her little by little, watching her pinched face slowly begin to relax under the rhythm of his movements. He groaned and lay his face near her neck, kissing her sweaty skin as he began to pick up the pace. She began panting, then moaning, in response to his thrusts. The sound of her echoed in the small room and made Charon even more crazed with lust. He pushed into her at a steady pace now, and she whimpered in pleasure against his skin, gripping his back with more strength than he thought her little fingers were capable of. Occasionally her mouth would find his and she would moan into him as their tongues gnashed up against each other's. It made him fucking hot to have her under him like this, entirely and completely his. He grunted against her, willing himself not to go too fast, trying to savor every moment of their passionate embrace.

Charon growled, energized as he heard her groaning beneath him. He began to push into her harder, faster, deeper. Her voice pitched, her mouth open as she gasped for air, her fingernails digging into his skin as she pulled on him for more. He clenched his teeth and rammed into her faster, groaning in spite of himself, trying to hold off his climax until she had come. It didn't take long. As he thrust himself into her he could feel her arching her back, her hand moving from his back to the mattress, gripping it uncontrollably until her knuckles were white. She screamed his name, begging, as he finished her, pounding against her over and over. He lowered his head and concentrated on his own climax, ramming himself into her until a whiteness clouded his thoughts. With a loud strained grunt he came into her, pushing himself as deeply within her body as it would allow, before falling to her chest with a shudder.

He lay on top of her for a minute with the full knowledge somewhere in the back of his mind that he was heavy, perhaps crushing her. He rolled off slowly, spent, breathing heavy as he wiped the sweat from his face with a calloused hand.

They lay there in silence, Noel turned her body to offer Charon more room on the narrow bed and he slid an arm beneath her head so that she rested in the crook of his shoulder. Her thighs were slick with the wetness they had both produced – or at least, that's what Charon thought it was. He hoped it wasn't blood, poor kid. He turned his head and kissed her, touching her brightly flushed face with a fingertip, trying to commit to memory the way she looked this very instant: tousled, satisfied, and oh-so-very his.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a minute. He wanted to wince in spite of himself. He knew he should have been gentler with the girl, but he was unable to do so. He hoped she wasn't hurting more than she needed to be.

Noel looked at him, her big blue eyes were clear as she lovingly kissed his lips. She nodded and let her fingers wander across his chest, tracing the woven lines of his exposed muscle. She stopped and brought the glassy nails closer to her face.

"Oh my God," she gasped, looking at something Charon couldn't see. Her face was shocked as she brought the hand up nearer to her eyes. He could make out what appeared to be grit underneath her long nails.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Charon was confused by the question. Was he okay? He was feeling goddamn glorious. She was the one who had gone through the hurt here. Why was she asking if he was okay?

"It's yours," she said softly, bringing her other hand to her face, examining the filth under her nails. "It's your skin. I'm so sorry. I think I hurt you when we were…"

Charon smiled, his teeth gleaming in under the artificial light. Was that all? "It's nothing," he grumbled, kissing her forehead. "It will heal soon enough." _One radiated shower should do the trick,_ he thought.

Noel looked sad. "I'm sorry. I feel so bad. I didn't know I was hurting you." She looked up at him guiltily. "I'll cut them, I swear."

He chuckled softly, exhausted but relieved that she wasn't thoroughly disgusted at having his skin and tissue beneath her nails. The girl could fuck a ghoul and still act perfectly natural about it. He felt like laughing.

"You can cut them, but you do not have to. It will be fine." He pulled her close to him, kissing her damp face tenderly.

She kissed him back, her lips lingering on his. He wanted to tell her that he loved her then and there, but he didn't – both worried that it wouldn't seem genuine after what they had just done and knowing that he may never be able to bring himself to say those words to her at all. Instead he merely watched as she settled her head on his chest, her porcelain arm slung around his stomach and ribs as she closed her eyes. They didn't speak. They didn't need too. This was more than Charon had ever thought was possible – more than he knew he deserved. He gripped her tightly, pulling her close to wrap his free arm protectively around her small body. They had given themselves to the other, and no one could take it from them. Everything between them was a washed in love. He kissed her as gently as he could, stroking her face, her alabaster skin, her firm body, as she looked at him and smiled sleepily. They twined their fingers within the others, taking turns kissing them, holding each other close, breathing together. Charon watched her tenderly as her movements gradually slowed, holding her tightly against himself as they both drifted off to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

"Where in God's name have you been?" Madison Li spat as she watched Noel come through the rotunda door. "You've been gone all day! Do you have any idea how worried your father was?"

James rushed to soothe her quickly. "Madison, please. Calm yourself. She's here now and that's all that matters." He got up from where he sat and looked at his daughter, smiling. "Noel, sweetheart, I'm just glad you're okay." He hugged her to him, his eyes lit up as he spoke.

"Don't worry. I didn't think anything bad would happen to you. I know Charon wouldn't allow it." He tipped his head at the ghoul as Charon stepped forward from the dark entrance into the rotunda.

"Charon, good to see you again," he said warmly.

Charon's face was grim, but he nodded back, surprised that James seemed to be expecting him. The ghoul's dark presence in the room made the scientists gasp. They had thought Noel would free herself of him back in Rivet City. It was obvious that no one, aside from James, ever thought they would see him again.

The science crew sat around a small makeshift fire in the Rotunda. Noel and Charon had apparently interrupted their dinner and they watched the couple with open mouths, as they joined them by the flames. Charon smirked as he made eye contact with Wolfgang, who had stood up wordlessly to greet Noel. The trader's face had swollen to a deep purple, bruised where the ghoul had struck him. Wolfgang watched silently, his eyes looking glassy by the light of the fire. He glared at Charon once, quickly, before turning to Noel with a puzzled look on his handsome face.

"Well we're here now," Noel said simply. "Sorry it took us so long. I got… held up in Rivet City." She sat down next to her father, opposite Wolfgang who continued to stare at her.

Charon stood cross-armed by the fire and smirked. Held up all right. They'd had sex before falling asleep in Madison Li's science lab. They woke hours later, still entangled with one another, and he'd struggled to get them ready for their return under Noel's many kisses. He had initially been concerned about the girl, wondering if she'd be okay after losing her virginity to the ghoul, but the bleeding hadn't been bad and she had seemed all right during the short journey here. I guess one could call that "held up."

Wolfgang shook his head angrily, ignoring Charon, and brushed himself off, pulling his pack from the floor. His merc took the hint, leading their brahmin (Charon couldn't tell how they got the fucking animal in the rotunda to start with) towards the east door.

"Noel," Wolfgang nodded, "it was wonderful to see you again." He shot an angry look at Charon. "Though I do hope next time it will be under more pleasurable circumstances." He turned to look at the crew and smiled courteously. "Best of luck to your endeavors here, friends. Please don't hesitate to contact me if there's anything I can do to help."

He gave one final charming smile before following his merc towards the exit. Noel got up quickly, dusting herself off and practically jogging to keep up with the tall merchant's stride. Charon raised a brow and turned his head to watch from the corner of his eye.

"Thank you so much for everything," she breathed. "I'm so sorry for having put you in such an awkward spot here. I'm sorry too, for what Charon did. It's not something that will ever happen again. I regret that it happened in the first place."

Charon snorted under his breath.

Wolfgang's loud voice came out in a gentle laugh. "Don't worry, Noel, and stop apologizing. You just be careful, okay?"

Charon watched carefully. If the trader touched her again he'd give him a matching shiner across the other cheek.

Wolfgang ran a large hand through his hair, smiling at the girl. "I'd really like to see you again," he said softly. "Although hopefully next time, perhaps it can be just the two of us."

Charon set his mouth in a fine line. Fucking Wolfgang couldn't take a hint. He blinked as he noticed the scientists all sitting around the fire, deliberately silent as they eavesdropped into the conversation. They had no shame in blatantly watching the scene before them. Charon stood where he was, keeping his eyes on the fire and the company, but concentrating on the voices behind him. If the trader touched her, he'd know it by the look on the scientist's faces.

Noel sighed. "That won't happen, Timothy. Charon goes with me everywhere."

Wolfgang's voice dipped lower. "He doesn't have to, you know. I don't trust him and you know it, but that's your call to make. I'm just asking that you tell him to lay off you for one night, that's all."

"I can't do that. Despite what you think, I enjoy being with him."

There was silence as Wolfgang tried to wrap his mind around her answer. He sighed heavily, his voice sounding like a concerned parent. "Noel…"

She chuckled, her sweet voice mimicked his. "Timothy…"

He let out a small laugh. "Fine, fine. Do what you want. But I'm here if you need me."

Noel's voice was gentle. "I know. Thank you. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will, duchess. You do the same."

Charon watched the scientists as he heard the rotunda door close behind him. A second later Noel brushed past, patting his back briefly before taking her spot near James.

"So," she exhaled, a bright smile on her face, "what's for dinner?"

* ***********

Charon liked the fact that no one on the Project Purity crew bothered to look at or speak to him, save for Noel and James. He didn't want to be bothered by them and they seemed too afraid to ask for his help on their many small projects throughout the memorial. They'd been here for days now, holed up in the small building, repairing leaks, fixing scientific shit that Charon didn't understand, and pulling up blueprints for how to get the purifier running again. Despite being surrounded by the stuffy smoothskins, Charon was really enjoying himself. He, Noel, and James shared a small room together in the basement and the tasks they asked Noel to do were simple and easy – go here, fetch that, fix this.

He could tell that Noel was enjoying herself too, having the best of both worlds with her father and Charon in the same space. She was her usual chipper self, quickly befriending all of the members of the science crew, save for Madison Li, who seemed to have an innate hatred for the girl that Charon didn't understand. (He found out later that Madison had been in love with James, and had seen Noel's conception as the thing that drove a wedge between them. Charon found it funny. Smoothskins. That was the problem with them. They always had to have the goddamn drama, even if it meant making it up on their own.)

What Charon liked the best about their new schedule was the frequency at which he and Noel could be alone. Often during their many "find this" quests, he would pull her into a dark corner and they'd kissing urgently, feeling as much of each other as they could before parting instantly at the sound of someone coming up on them. He loved that he could be with her, but hated the small goddamn building and its many inhabitants that never let him be with her for very long. Since coming back from Rivet City they hadn't gotten any further than kissing, though they'd been close once. They'd been in a closet, Noel hastily unbuckling Charon's pants, breathing heavily as he sucked on her neck. One of Li's assistants had come looking for Noel in order to make yet another request, and had opened the closet door while they were pulling on each other, oblivious to the sound of approaching footsteps. Luckily, the closet had been dark and the assistant didn't get a good view. What she did get to see was Noel looking slightly tussled and flushed. Charon had turned with his back towards the door, angrily trying to get his junk in order, muttering obscenities under his breath. They hadn't tried it again.

They were cautious about hiding their relationship by not excessively looking at or touching one another during the day. It was harder to do than Charon had initially thought it would be – so many times he wanted to kiss her or hold her when she did something sweet or stupid or clumsy, which seemed to be all the time. They spent almost every waking second in each other's company, but if the crew ever suspected anything, they never brought it up. Most likely it was something that they couldn't even fathom – a girl and a ghoul together? – it remained an unthinkable taboo despite being under their very noses.

Her first job had been to fortify the place, which Charon found they did effectively enough to hold the supermutants at bay. After a few days of feeling secure in their new compound, he and Noel felt comfortable enough to split up to complete small odd jobs on their own. Charon never felt entirely at ease when she wasn't with him, but he rationalized that the girl may eventually grow to resent his presence if he was always in her space.

This particular day, Charon was working with James in the empty rotunda. They worked together often, being that James needed to get hands-on with irradiated water and Charon was the only one who could safely help him out without the fear of mutation. Charon didn't mind working with James. He was quiet, meticulous, and friendly enough towards the ghoul. Thankfully, they never talked about Noel. James had tried initially, but Charon responded with grunts and stares and the conversations had fallen flat.

They stood before the main purifier, James taking notes on something or another, Charon watching the filter bubbles float upwards, arms folded, awaiting orders. James cleared his throat as he put his pen and clipboard down. "Charon," he said in his quiet accent, "I'm sorry to impose on you, but I've been meaning to talk with you about something."

Charon eyed him skeptically. Most of the doctor's attempts at conversations started like this.

"It's about Noel," James sighed.

Charon felt like rolling his eyes. Regardless of where this went, it was a conversation he didn't want to have.

"I'm not entirely sure how to start," he said cautiously, "so I suppose I'll just come out with it."

_Please_, Charon thought. _Let's get this shit over with_.

"I'm a scientist by nature, Charon. I observe. It's what I do." He looked up at the ghoul uncomfortably. "You see," he clarified, "science is about observing patterns in our world and studying the variables within that pattern. Relationships between the variables, that is. You manipulate one thing to see its effect on another."

_Jesus Christ_, Charon thought. _Get to the goddamn point_.

"What I'm trying to say," James continued, "is that you observe and measure how things change in relationship to something else. A cause and effect really, and you attempt to determine what, if anything, is significant about those changes."

Charon grumbled and returned his eyes to the bubbles that ran through the filter, hoping James would take the hint.

"The point I'm trying to make is that I've noticed changes in my daughter." Charon looked at James again, his interest piqued. "I've seen how she acts around others, and I've seen how she acts… around you." He looked cautiously at Charon. "Well, to be quite frank it's not the same. You're the variable that causes the change in her behavior."

Charon frowned and resumed watching the filter do its work.

"You see these changes in human beings all the time – that is, a natural effect, a reaction, when a variable is introduced into their environment. Although I'm not much good at picking up on them," he admitted. "I'm a student of the physical, not the social sciences." He sighed before continuing. "For example, I've seen the way Madison looks at my daughter. Noel is the variable that causes the change in Madison's behavior. She becomes angry, bitter, perhaps resentful whenever Noel is introduced into her environment. Understandably so, in her opinion, I'm sure. I've also seen the way Wolfgang reacts to Noel. It's decidedly different, of course."

James stopped and joined Charon in watching the bubbles. His voice was quiet when he continued.

"He looks at her the same way you do."

Charon turned to look at James, the scientist not meeting his gaze.

"I'm not doing a very good job with this…" he sighed, running a hand over his trim beard. "The point I'm trying to make is that I've seen the way you change around her. And," he added in a small voice. "I see those same changes when she is around you."

Charon watched, waiting.

James frowned. "Initially I didn't know what to think. I don't know much about your kind or about their… interactions with humans, if you will. But I know my daughter like I know myself. She's always been a good judge of character." He gave a small smile and sighed. "And if she's happy with you then I'm happy for her."

Charon swallowed. Not exactly what he was expecting to hear.

"You're good for her in your own way," James said sadly. "I just… well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but this isn't exactly the life I envisioned for my only daughter." He looked at Charon and smiled sadly. "But you'll take care of her, I know. And in the end, I suppose that's all a father really wants for his child."

The ghoul grumbled. What the fuck was he supposed to do with this information?

"Well," James said quickly, rubbing his hands together. "I'm sorry for taking up your time. I apologize for not being more… concise. I tend to ramble."

Charon nodded. His voice was gravelly and quick. "If you need no further assistance in your endeavors, I will take my leave." He wanted to get away from the goddamn rotunda and this awkward conversation as soon as he could.

James seemed just as relieved to have the ghoul away from him. "Yes, of course," he muttered quickly. "Sorry to have held you up."

Charon nodded again and headed out towards the main building. It wasn't the most uncomfortable conversation he'd ever experienced, but it was pretty damn close. He looked for Noel around the dimly lit space and found her tinkering with some mechanical gear in the back of the main room.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned after reading the expression on his face.

Charon took a seat next to her, lowering her voice and staring at a member of Doctor Li's crew across the room. "Your father knows," he growled.

Noel stared at him, unfettered. "About us?" She paused and Charon didn't answer. "Well, yeah. Of course he does. I told him."

Charon looked at her, stunned. "You told him?" he hissed.

"Yeah," Noel laughed a little. "Charon, he's my _father_."

Charon leaned back and rolled his eyes, tucking his large hands behind his head. Of course she told him. It was strange and awkward and something no human would ever admit to. Seemed perfectly reasonable.

"Come on," Noel stood up, pulling his arm to get him to his feet. "Dad said he's got a job for us."

Charon grumbled. _No thanks,_ he thought. _I've had enough of him for the day_. Yet he didn't resist as she led him back towards the rotunda.

"Dad," Noel called out in her sing-song voice as soon as they entered the room. "We're here. What was it that you wanted?"

James smiled. "Great, sweetheart. It's nothing much, I just need you to turn on the main water pipe to the purifier. It's not far. I can guide you through the intercoms if you'd like."

Noel smiled and shook her head. "Dad, we've been here for almost a week. I think we can find our way around. We've got it."

"All right darling, see you soon."

Noel smiled and skipped away, turning back as per usual to make sure Charon was with her. James nodded to them both, watching as they exited the room.

They quickly made their way to the large pipe. He had been in here before. It was dark and dirty, save for the large screen-covered hole near the main valve. The hole didn't give much a view on the D.C. wastes, but it did provide them with enough light to make their way through the snaking tunnel. Noel could walk with relative ease in the narrow space, but Charon was stooped and uncomfortable. She laughed as she watched him creeping his way behind her, turning around to plant a long kiss on his now easily accessible face.

"The pipe," she breathed, looking around with a sudden gleam in her eye. "No one ever comes down here." She pulled him closer with a growl. Her eyes sparked in a way that Charon loved to see. "I wonder why I didn't think of it sooner," she said to herself.

_Because it's goddamn uncomfortable_, Charon thought. But he didn't resist as she pulled his face to hers, kissing him deeply. Charon slipped his arms around her, as far as he could being bent over as he was, and kissed her back. She broke the kiss after a minute, stepping back and laughing.

"Never mind," she giggled as she watched him. "You look miserable down here."

Charon gave her a look that read "no shit" as they made their way to valve that would activate the main water pipe. The light coming through the hole above them made her look radiant against the grime. He grinned as he watched her throw her weight into moving the valve's access wheel without success, her small face reddening with the effort of it.

She looked at him in mock annoyance. "Don't just stand there, help me."

Charon leaned over and kissed her, backing her away from the valve as he placed his calloused hands over the metal wheel. He smiled as it turned easily under his touch.

She rolled her eyes and kissed him. "You think you're tough," she teased.

Then Charon saw it. Something he hadn't seen in years. A black helicopter from the corner of his eye. He broke the kiss from Noel and stared, adrenaline instantly surging through his body, his heartbeat pumping in his ears at the threat that lay before them. He watched what was at least a dozen black power armor-clad warriors climb out from the helicopter as it landed. Shit. If they got in they were all fucked.

"Who are they?" Noel gasped as she followed his gaze, her small fingers hooking over the screen.

Without a word Charon yanked her from the opening, pulling her into the darkness of the tunnel for fear that they'd see her. "We have to get out of here," he growled, his voice urgent. "Now."

She started to pull against him. "Charon, what are you talking about?"

"There is no time," he hissed. "We must leave now!"

"We can't leave! What about dad?"

Charon dragged her through the tunnel, his thick arm wrapped around her body. His only concern was getting her out safely. "Your father will be fine," he muttered.

"What?!" Noel screamed. "We can't just leave him!"

Charon angrily clamped a rough hand over her mouth with his free hand as he continued to drag her through the tunnels. Goddamn it. He hoped he saw them soon enough. He hoped he could get them out.

He pushed open the door leading from the pipe to the main room with his back and looked around cautiously. So far so good. He breathed into Noel's ear, gripping her tightly against him still.

"I am removing my hand. Do not make a sound. Do what I do and stay directly behind me. Do you understand?"

Noel's eyes were wide and she nodded quickly.

"Good," Charon whispered as he slowly released her.

He crouched low, grabbing his shotgun from his back and leveling it to his face. He watched from the corner of his eye as she unholstered her rifle from her back and raised it at the invisible enemy. He crept forward, stealthy, alert, hoping that they could get the hell out of here without being seen. He turned to make sure Noel was with him, a dry cry coming from his throat as he watched her quickly making her way in the opposite direction towards the rotunda. He cursed, running as quickly as he could without making a sound to catch up with his master.

She rounded a corner and screamed, jumping back as bullets flew past her head. Charon snarled and yanked her roughly to the ground, rounding the corner and shooting quickly at the black metal soldier.

"I'm not leaving him!" she shouted over the gunfire. "We have to get in there Charon!"

Charon growled, his back pressed up against the wall. He looked down at her, registering the absolute panic on her face at the thought of losing her father yet again. He nodded, angrily. If he had to die to get her in there he would, but it was a stupid decision, likely to get them both killed. He turned the corner quickly, firing off a few more shots before pressing himself back against the wall. He reloaded his shotgun, leaving his cover momentarily to fire at the enemy, noticing this time that Noel's small speedy assault rifle bullets joined with his buckshot towards their target. The soldier fell to the floor with a loud thud.

"What in the world is he?" Noel gasped as she peered out from the corner at their fallen enemy.

Charon didn't answer, grabbing her roughly by the wrist and dragging her behind him towards the rotunda door. He didn't know what the fuck they were doing here, but he knew it wasn't good. They had barely made it five paces before another one rounded the corner. Charon thrust the girl behind a fallen pillar, and fired at it before it realized he was there, killing it quickly with a few skillfully placed headshots. Without a word, he yanked her to her feet and kicked open the rotunda door, dragging her inside and throwing them both behind cover as soon as they entered.

Two more of the black soldiers were in the rotunda. Girl and ghoul had been discovered as soon as the door opened and the soldiers fired mercilessly. Noel looked up at him, afraid. They'd been in tight spots before, but never anything this bad. There was nowhere to run and no knowing how many more of them would come. They were hopelessly outnumbered and the enemy was strong, fast, and smart. Charon grit his teeth as he popped off a few shots from behind the fallen piece of ceiling where they hid. He hissed under his breath as the bullets flew over their heads, looking briefly at Noel before reloading. Her fear was gone, her face determined, as she saw her father and Madison Li near the purifier who were watching in terror at the two of them in the firefight.

Charon reached into Noel's pack and quickly pulled out two frag mines. He activated them both in a second and threw them over his head without looking.

"Charon, no!" Noel screamed.

He grumbled and popped his head out from their cover, firing upon the second soldier just as the frag mines went off, sending the first flying into a wall. He had memorized the layout of this room from days spent helping James. He knew the frag mines were nowhere close to hurting the scientists. Noel joined him in firing at the second soldier who had become distracted from the explosion and the rubble and debris that it produced. He went down quickly.

Noel ran towards her father before the body had even hit the floor and Charon cursed her under his breath. The rotunda had two doors and enemies could come from either one of them at any second. The purifier offered no cover, no protection, yet she ran to it without hesitation. He followed angrily, and noticed for the first time that James had locked himself inside the transparent cylinder.

She stopped by the purifier door, watching helplessly with Doctor Li at what was happening inside. "Open the door," she demanded at Li. "Let them out!"

Madison shook her head. "I can't! James locked it from the inside!"

Charon stood by Noel and watched as she frantically tried to activate the purifier's doors from the computer console. She gave up when Madison gasped behind her, turning from the keyboard to watch her father. James and one of Li's crewmembers were trapped inside, both looking unarmed and helpless. Two of the black armored soldiers and a man in a clean white trench coat were in as well, pointing guns that the ghoul couldn't identify at James. Charon swallowed hard. The only thought racing through his mind was how to get Noel out. Now.

"The enclave is taking over this little assembly," the man in the trench coat said in a thick accent. "I suggest you hand over all materials related to the project and provide us with your full cooperation."

James's voice was calm, his eyes steady as he answered. "That's quite impossible. The enclave has no jurisdiction here."

The man in the trench coat gave a sinister smile. "We are the _enclave_. We have jurisdiction over everything. Furthermore, you are to assist our efforts in the running of this facility."

James looked up at Noel, worry reading in his eyes, but masked well in front of the trench coated man. "Sir," he said patiently, "I assure you, the facility is not functional at this point."

"Am I to assume that you are not going to cooperate?" the man said plainly.

James's voice stayed controlled, though his eyes nervously flicked to Noel again. "You have to understand, the facility is --"

Without warning the white coated man pulled a pistol from his belt and shot Li's assistant in the gut with a quick flash of his wrist. Noel and Madison jumped, frozen by the sudden brutal act. Charon narrowed his eyes. Jesus Christ, they needed to leave. Now!

James was quick to respond. "Please," he begged, holding up his hands. "I'll cooperate. Just please, no more violence."

Noel gasped as James moved towards the purifier door, coming closer to his daughter. He looked at her through the cylinder, his eyes sad as he spoke. "I love you Noel. I just wanted to give you a better world." His hand shook as he began opening one of the containers within the purifier, the man in white watching him suspiciously. James looked to Madison, Noel, and Charon before removing the substance in his hand and dropping it into the purifier's filter.

"Run," he commanded. "Save yourselves."

"DAD!" Noel screamed, dropping her rifle and throwing herself against the clear door, pounding with as much strength as she could muster. A white cloud formed inside the chamber and James slumped lifelessly to the ground, followed seconds later by both soldiers. Charon had lost the man in white, his brain a frenzy of how to get them out.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Noel yelled at Li. "HURRY!"

"We can't!" Madison yelled, panicked. "He released a chemical capsule. The radiation will kill us both!"

Noel yanked on the door, muffled sobs escaped her throat. She threw herself suddenly onto the control panel to the purifier, attempting to open the door herself.

"No!" Madison yelled, "You'll kill us! We have to get out of here! You heard your father, he said to run!"

Noel ignored her, her face red as she typed maniacally.

Charon growled and snaked his free arm around her stomach, his other hand keeping the shotgun leveled. He yanked her back from the console, dragging her down the purifier stairs. "Grab the gun," he directed at Li, motioning with his eyes where Noel's rifle had fallen.

"Put me down!" Noel screamed, kicking and thrashing against him. "We need to get him out! Let me go!"

"We need to get out of here, now," Charon snarled, ignoring Noel.

"Goddamn it, Charon! Let me go! I can't just leave him! He's dying in there!"

Madison looked terrified, but obeyed Charon, snatching the rifle off the floor and following him down the stairs. Her hands trembled as she held it to her chest. "I know a way," she said in a quivering voice.


	21. Chapter 21

The experienced had left Noel broken. Charon had dragged her against her will and thrown her into the escape tunnel that Madison Li showed them. Charon still found Li to be abrasive as hell, but he had to give her credit for getting them out of the memorial in one piece, leading them to a manhole cover carefully hidden within the main room that they could use to escape. The rest of Doctor Li's crew had made it to the tunnel as well, only having narrowly avoided being gunned down by enclave soldiers themselves.

Noel had resisted at first, urgently trying to claw her way back into the memorial despite the science crew's protests. Charon had pulled her back and heaved her against a wall, pinning her against the slimy concrete with his body. Growling, he had moved her face just an inch from hers, baring his white teeth like an animal.

"You are not returning to the memorial. We must escape while we can. If you persist in this behavior I will have no choice but to carry you the entire way."

She had given him a look that nearly broke his resolve. Her eyes looked lost, desperate, with a depth of sadness he'd never seen from her before. She took a few seconds to wrap her mind around the ghoul's rough words, but when she did her features hardened, her eyes turned steely, and her look read venom. Charon had no doubt that she knew he would haul her, kicking and screaming, through the tunnels if necessary. She had grit her teeth and pushed him off of her, yanked her rifle back from Madison, and led them through the enclave-infested tunnels.

How they managed to make it to the Citadel without losing one of the hapless scientists was beyond Charon. The tunnel eventually wound through to the brotherhood of steel's main outpost, but was packed with enclave soldiers and feral ghouls. The ghouls were no real threat, save for the fact that their screams had the science crew near pissing in their drawers. But the enclave, on the other hand, was nothing to be trifled with. They carried new weapons that Charon had never seen. Plasma, he discovered later, and they fucking hurt like nothing he'd felt before.

But they had managed to plow through, no one talking save for Li, who would occasionally shout to the ghoul and girl which direction they needed to go next. The brotherhood wasn't exactly thrilled to see them at their doorstep, but they let them into the Citadel without too much fuss. Charon watched them warily, thankful for the reprieve, but suspicious. His prior experiences with the brotherhood had been far from favorable. Often the power armored warriors would make their rounds and scout the wastes for supermutant baddies, though they seemed not to care whether their kill was mutant or ghoul alike. Charon had seen many of his kind gunned down by the brotherhood and it had always left an acrid taste in the back of his mouth.

Now they were safely inside the Citadel and Noel's "fight" response had worn away. She hadn't looked at or spoken to the ghoul since they arrived days ago. She sat on one of the brotherhood's bunks, didn't eat or speak, and just stared ahead at nothingness, looking comatose. She responded to no one, fully enveloped in her shock at the sudden loss of her father. Initially Charon hadn't cared if she hated him for dragging her away from the memorial – he'd rather have her hate him than have her dead, but now he was beginning to wonder if she'd ever snap out of it long enough to even feel anger.

Charon stood by her side without an emotion on his face. The brotherhood acolytes were nice enough, bringing Noel food and drink at each meal that would always remain untouched. After realizing that he wouldn't leave the girl they began to bring Charon some too. He'd eat his share silently, all the while watching his master for some kind of life under her blank stare. He slept standing up, something he was well practiced at during his decades in the Ninth Circle, occasionally waking to see Noel slumped over, passed out on her cot.

After the fourth day Charon had enough. He grumbled as he woke from his sleep to discover Noel laying on the bed, eyes open but not seeing anything. He growled as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, smiling slightly as she squirmed against his touch. At least something was getting through. He carried her outside, ignoring the looks of the brotherhood soldiers and trainees, as he brought her to the roof.

_A few rads won't hurt her too badly_, he thought, as he tossed her into a large trough of irradiated catch water. He watched, expressionless, as the girl floundered in the tub, spitting water as she came up. Gripping the edge of the trough she looked at him and shook her head vigorously as though coming out of a deep sleep.

Charon read something in her eyes that told him she was coming back to herself. He bent low to catch her face in his, kissing her roughly on the lips, ignoring the fact that any trainees on the adjacent roofs would have a damn good view of them right now. He needed her back. He was hoping this would do it.

She grabbed him angrily and shoved him off of her.

"Get off of me!" she cried. "I hate you!"

Charon backed away and straightened himself out, staring down at her darkly.

"You cannot stay like this," he growled in response. "It is time for you to get up and take action." He didn't care what she did, but she needed do _something_ – eat, sleep, curse him out – anything.

Her fingers gripped the edge of the trough as the water sloshed around her. Her face broke and she began crying, her tears running silently onto the back of her hands.

"I was. I tried to." She raised angry eyes at the ghoul. "You stopped me."

Charon nodded, arms crossed before his chest.

"Why did you stop me?!" she suddenly yelled at him.

Charon answered in a grave voice. "You would have died," he said simply.

"I don't care!" she screamed back. "You should have left me there!"

"No!" Charon yelled. "I could not! I would not leave you there to die!"

Noel continued sobbing, shaking her dripping head slowly. Charon heard the heavy metal sound of armored feet climbing up the stairs behind him. He had no doubt that if he turned around he'd see a pair of brotherhood soldiers with their weapons trained to his head. Doctor Li's influence may have granted the ghoul entrance into the Citadel, but any indication that he had hurt someone inside would get him shot without question.

She continued crying in the trough, her Pip-boy's rad meter ticking like a clock. With a grumble, Charon slowly reached down and pulled her out, placing her gently down beside him. She slumped to the ground like a wet rag. He turned to give the brotherhood a glare, suddenly feeling exhausted. The soldiers watched him, their power helmets hiding any emotion they might show at the scene before them. Noel continued to sob, covering her face with her hands, and after a minute the lead soldier gave a signal and started back down the stairs, leaving the ghoul and girl alone again.

Noel's voice was a ruined whisper. "I could have saved him."

Charon bent with a knee on the ground, looking intently at her hidden face. "He was dead," he said as delicately as he could. "There was nothing you could do."

She peeled her hands from her face and looked at him through red-rimmed eyes. Her eyes held fast onto his.

"I hate you," she whispered.

Charon swallowed, the words making him feel sick. He nodded slowly. _Yes_, he thought. _Hate me. As long as you are still here I know I have done my duty_.

Seeing the ghoul nod at her words made her cry even harder. Charon waited with programmed patience, wondering what would happen to them now.

She crawled to him and clutched him unexpectedly, sobbing deeply into his armor. Her strawberry hair dripped over him, wetting his legs, but he didn't move.

"I don't hate you," she whispered in a quivering voice, her fingers clinging onto his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't hate you."

Charon grunted a sigh and looked at the sky, blinking his filmy eyes in the light. He pulled her between his legs and rested his muscled arm along her back. He wanted her to be okay. He didn't know if that would ever happen.

He held her that way for many minutes before picking her up, cradling her like a child, and carrying her downstairs. He'd have her eat first, getting her strength back up before anything else. He was hoping by then she'd come to some decision about where they would go from here. Ultimately, it didn't matter. They'd be together. With James gone he was all she had left and she – she was all he'd ever really had to begin with.


	22. Chapter 22

"Charon, we have to leave," Noel said simply over her lunch.

The ghoul froze, fork halfway to his mouth as he watched his master. He smiled to himself as he shoved the Cram into his mouth. They'd been at the Citadel for a week now and this was the first she'd mentioned of leaving.

Noel had definitely improved since her impromptu dip in the tub a few days earlier. She was still sad, still unusually quiet (for Noel, at least), and still subdued in everything she did. But she was slowly starting to come around, having come to the realization that her father was dead and that no amount of moping would bring him back.

Charon swallowed the meat and looked quickly around the crowded dining hall where they sat.

"Where will you have us go?" he asked.

Noel's lips pressed to a fine line, her aqua eyes on his.

"I've been thinking about it," she sighed, "and I want to continue dad's work."

Charon nodded once. He figured she'd do as much. Project Purity was her father's legacy, or at least it would be if she pulled it off. He looked at her closely, taking in her small delicate features. She may be somewhat clumsy when it came to wasteland survival, but she could most decidedly hold her own in the realm of science. He'd only been with her for a week after she obtained his contract before realizing she was more learned in the areas of chemistry, biology, botany, and medicine, than anyone he'd ever met. If there was someone who could pick up where James's work had left off, it was Noel.

Charon cleared his throat. "The enclave will put up resistance," he said quietly. She'd probably thought of it already but he wanted her to be aware of the dangers involved. The enclave was as cutthroat as they came. He didn't know if she fully understood the extent they'd go through to get their way, or the vastness of the area in which their iron fist could strike.

Despite it all he wanted to laugh. If there was one thing about the girl it was that she never backed down from something she had her mind set on. Cynically, Charon wondered if that's why she was still with him.

Noel smiled slyly. "I know it," she said with an upturned eyebrow. "I'll just have to be smarter than they are, now won't I?"

Charon growled in consent, swallowing another forkful of food. She could certainly do that, though he didn't know it if would be enough.

"Let's go back to Megaton," Noel said, sounding upbeat for the first time in a long time. "I feel grounded there. I'll hunt around and get some clues about where to go next. Moira and Lucas may have some ideas."

Charon nodded. It wasn't a bad start. Moira Brown, for all her eccentricities, was more knowledgeable about the wasteland than most anyone. And Lucas Simms, the town mayor, seemed to have ears goddamn everywhere. Charon had always suspected Lucas to be a Regulator – one of the do-good vigilantes that patrolled the wastes. If that were the case he'd have a network of support on which to rely, and may be able to point them in the right direction.

"Besides," Noel huffed, looking at Charon coyly, "I miss Dogmeat. It's been a long time since we've seen him."

Charon gave a dry bark of a laugh. That goddamn dog.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence with the unspoken understanding that they'd leave at first light tomorrow.

*************

The Megaton home was exactly as they'd left it. Charon and Noel arrived early in the evening, stopping to drop off supplies and check in on Dogmeat and the butler. (Why Noel concerned herself over the butler to begin with was beyond Charon. Wadsworth was a goddamn robot after all.) They went to see Lucas Simms first, who seemed genuinely sympathetic upon hearing about Noel's father, and equally sincere when he admitted to not knowing where they might head next to resume their project.

Moira Brown proved to be more useful. Charon grit his teeth against the sound of her nasally voice as she told Noel of another vault – Vault 87, where they had something that may help the girl. How one gained entrance to Vault 87 was a mystery, as was its location, but hell – it was a start.

Noel thanked the vendor profusely and they exited Craterside Supply just as stars began to poke through the blanket of night. Noel led Charon back towards the house, but didn't go in, stopping instead to sit at one of the tables on the outdoor landing. Dogmeat yipped happily at her heels, excited at their return after having been gone for so long.

Charon sat opposite his master and groaned comfortably. He realized that he was finally starting to get a feel for the small town. The residents still eyed him as though he was a goddamn freak, but he didn't give a fuck. It was a good place to come home too – provided that Noel was at his side. He absently began to wonder where he would sleep tonight. Noel seemed to have forgiven him for dragging her away from the memorial building, but he wasn't sure what she was thinking at this point. She hadn't said anything against him following her around the Citadel once she got to walking again, but also hadn't initiated any contact since he'd dunked her on the rooftop. Not unusual, he told himself, given what the girl had gone through.

"Charon," Noel started softly, "I've been thinking."

He raised an eyebrow and watched. She hadn't talked much to him (or anyone else really) for the past few days. Something had been eating at her. He'd always assumed that her mind was still on her father.

"I'm going to go to Vault 87."

Charon leaned back into his chair and nodded. Was that all? He knew that already.

She looked at him and smiled sadly. "Charon," she said gently. "I'm going alone."

Charon swallowed, his clouded eyes shifting back into focus on hers. Alone? He grumbled deep in his throat. She couldn't go alone.

"No," he said roughly, shaking his head vigorously at the words. "You cannot go alone."

She smiled and reached across the table as if to take his hand. "You can't give me orders, Charon. None that I'm required to obey in any case."

He felt a catch in his throat. No, he couldn't order her to do anything. His heart suddenly pumped too quickly, his brain spinning for ideas.

"It is dangerous out there," he said in a guttural voice. "You are safer with me." He tried not to make the words sound as desperate as he felt. She had never once suggested leaving him behind before.

"I know," she sighed, her hand outstretched as though waiting for his.

"I will go with you to Vault 87. I will accompany you wherever you wish to go."

"I know," she repeated, smiling at him. "It's just… I don't want you to accompany me."

The words put such weight on his chest that Charon suddenly felt it hard to breathe. "Have I done something to displease you?" he asked in a dry voice.

Noel shook her head, her thick blonde ponytail waving behind her. She smiled at him tenderly. "No. It's not that."

"Why will you not allow me to accompany you?" he asked.

Noel sighed, finally withdrawing her empty hand and placing it into her lap. "It's just that this is something I need to do myself." She looked up at him with big somber eyes. "You'd understand that, won't you?"

Charon suddenly felt like screaming. No he didn't goddamn understand it. She was suggesting that she go into the wasteland, alone of all things, battling mutants and raiders and the fucking enclave on top of it all, looking for a vault that may or may not exist anymore. Coupled with the fact that she didn't know what the hell lay in store beyond that, if she even _got_ beyond that, or if she could even get the fucking purifier running at all? And he – he was supposed to be _understanding_?

He growled, angrily looking away. She was being ridiculous. He shook his head, crossing his thick red arms across his chest. "No," he muttered. "You cannot leave without me."

He didn't care if they had to cross hell and back to complete their task, so long as he was with the girl. He had never once pointed out to Noel that the wasteland assholes she was trying to help were the same ones that routinely made their lives a living hell. These were the same dickheads who were too afraid to leave the comfort of their little lives, begging her to complete all their bullshit tasks. These were the same fuckers who transformed into raiders – the bastards who didn't hesitate to kill, torture, and rape people exactly like her. These fuckers made a goddamn business out of enslaving others, selling out unfortunate souls like Gob to have a lifetime of misery under whichever heartless cunt bought their contract. He'd never pointed this out – never pointed out that she was too goddamn good for all of it. She'd stayed with Charon and that had been enough for him. Even if she risking herself for these wasteland shits, Charon thought he could bring her safely through it. But now…

Noel let out a long sigh, rubbing her pale hands over her porcelain face. "Charon," she said sadly. "I've already made up my mind about this."

Charon shook his head stubbornly. She wasn't leaving without him.

"Look," she said candidly. "I'm doing this regardless of what you think, okay? It's just something that I need to do."

He glared at her. She wouldn't.

Her eyes were serious as she stared back, unblinking. "Charon, I've told you once that I wasn't giving you orders anymore."

He clenched his teeth. It was the only reason he'd been able to ignore her pleads back at the memorial. She may have kicked and yelled and pitched a fucking fit, but she technically hadn't given him any orders since they'd left Vault 112.

"And," she said pointedly, "I don't plan to. I'm telling you what I want to do. I'm saying that I don't want you to come with me. I want you to respect that."

He frowned. Fuck no. Not if her intentions were to leave him behind.

Her face softened. "Please," she begged, "I need you to understand. I need you to be okay with this."

Charon stood up abruptly, his chair falling back behind him. "No," he growled angrily. "I will not support you if those are your intentions. It is an unreasonable request. Going alone is irrational and dangerous. I will not allow it."

Noel pushed back from her chair, moving to stand within inches of the ghoul. "I'm not going alone… not entirely. I'm taking Dogmeat with me."

He glowered down at her. She was fucking crazy. She was leaving him and taking the goddamn _dog_? What good would Dogmeat do in a fight? It was like carrying around an idiot child just for the hell of it.

She put her thin hand lightly to his chest, positioning it over his heart. "I know you're angry," she said softly, "but I've given it a lot of thought."

"Think harder," he scowled at her. "Your current plan is reeks of stupidity."

She laughed up at him. He was too angry to enjoy the sound of it.

"I figured you'd say something like that."

"Then you realize the idiocy of your idea," he growled at her.

"No…" she said patiently, looking up at him. She looked so beautiful. Charon felt like pulling her into his arms and collapsing against her. She was his whole goddamn world, and she was leaving him.

She smiled at him. "Charon," she warned, "I don't want to have to order you to stay behind."

Charon grit his teeth. She'd do it if she needed to. He was suddenly sure of it. He closed his eyes shut, angry at himself, angry at her, angry at James, angry at everyone for what was happening between them. Why did he have to fucking die? How could he have let the enclave ruin him so?

"You'd have to order me," he spoke through clenched teeth, opening his frosty eyes to glare at the girl. "I will not simply stay here because you request it of me."

Her smile turned sad. She rubbed her hand across his heart before returning her eyes soberly to his. "Then I will," she sighed. "You cannot come with me. That is an order."

He felt like crumbling. He shook his head angrily, his eyes closed, his head lowered in defeat. What had happened?

She reached up for him and pulled him close, delicately folding her arms around his neck as she held him. Charon wasn't thinking clearly enough to able to step away, not considering who saw them in the small town. He let himself be held, his arms still folded across his chest, as he felt the world slipping beneath his feet. Somehow this had been his fault. He had brought it upon them both.

Noel pulled away after a long minute, her face looked sad but she forced a smile. "Come on," she soothed. "Let's go into the house." She turned around and clicked her tongue at Dogmeat who responded immediately, as she led them both back into their Megaton home.

They entered in silence. Noel took Charon by the hand as soon as they were both inside the house and led the way upstairs. "Goodnight Wadsworth," she called to the robot.

"Goodnight madam," came the muffled voice from the kitchen below.

Though it was still early, Noel led Charon upstairs. She brought him into the bedroom and shut the door before Dogmeat could come in. Charon was too miserable to speak.

"I know you're upset," she said with a small smile as she turned to face him. "But I'm doing this for both of us, okay? You may not understand it now, but I'm doing this for us."

Charon felt too overwhelmed to respond. He didn't move when she slipped into his arms, not reacting as she planted a kiss on his chest. Somehow he supposed he should have felt lucky. She wanted him still, despite everything that had happened. Yet he couldn't feel anything but desolation at the thought that she was leaving.

She sighed heavily into his chest. "You'll understand someday," she said softly, more to herself than to him. She lifted her head to look into his stoic eyes. "I'm leaving tomorrow for Vault 87. Please, Charon, can't we enjoy each other while we're still together?"

He felt like pushing her off of him and walking out of the goddamn room. He couldn't pretend to be tolerant of what she was doing to him.

She sighed and hugged his unresponsive body. "Someday you'll know," she breathed softly. She lifted herself to her tiptoes and gave the ghoul a long, slow kiss. Charon sighed despite himself and kissed back. He was miserable. This was all he wanted in the world – to have her with him – and she had ordered him against it.

He lowered his head so that she wouldn't need to tiptoe and they kissed again, his brain suddenly fueled by the thought that this may be the last time he'd ever see her. He clutched her urgently to his body and kissed harder. So many terrible things could happen to her out there. He hoped he had trained her well enough to get through them.

Noel sighed under his kisses and clung tightly to him. Her hands moved carefully over his red face, her fingertips like silk on the rough patches of skin. How he wished that he wasn't bound by that contract – that she'd never come into his life, that they hadn't left James back at the memorial. Suddenly everything that happened between them seemed to be a mistake. Everything had led to this, and it was breaking his heart.

They continued kissing with their hands finding their way across the other's body. Their actions were slow and deliberate, yet both felt the urgency behind them. They knew it may be the last time they saw each other, and they were both savoring it. When they had been together in Rivet City their actions had centered on releasing pent up desires. The act had been more savage then Charon would have liked, given it was the girl's first time. Now, he was determined to show her through his touch, if not his words, that he loved her. They made love gently, without timidity or hesitation, confessing in muted whispers their feelings for each other. Charon found he was never able to tell the girl that he loved her, nor did she tell him the same, but as she lay across him, sleeping in serenity, he knew.

In the morning Noel was gone. Charon escorted her to the gate of Megaton and watched silently, a grimace etched into his stony face, as she disappeared over the horizon with Dogmeat at her heels. He wanted so desperately to yell for her to stop, to run to her side, and to shred the contract in his teeth, growling that nothing as stupid as a piece of paper could keep him from her. Instead, he had stood there, helpless, as she left. He had never hated himself more.


	23. Chapter 23

Charon had never been more miserable. Each day he waited, statuesque, outside the gates of Megaton, moving with the shifting shade as the harsh and relentless wasteland sun worked on peeling back whatever scraps of skin were still on the ghoul's body. He stared into the horizon, his breath catching whenever he caught a blip in the distance of something that might be his master. But it never was. She'd been gone for months.

The ghoul would return to the city only after the descending darkness of evening made it impossible for him to see further than a few feet in front of him. He spent each night at Moriarty's Saloon, which initially struck him as strange. He didn't know why he returned to the place night after night. He didn't really enjoy being there, yet he kept returning. He'd sit in silence and listen to the radio for any tidbit of news about Noel. Three Dog tended to ramble over and over with the same shit (something about "fighting the good fight," that fucker – easy for him to say, holed up in his fortified compound as he was), but occasionally he'd toss a bit of good news Charon's way. The snippets of Miss 101's activities – the hero of the wastes, as Three Dog called her – were few and far between, but it was enough to fuel the dwindling fire that burned in his gut with the knowledge that yes, she was still alive at least (or had been, when Three Dog got word of her).

Gob would talk quietly, rambling on whatever topic his mind led him to, usually Three Dog or the enclave or some petty bullshit about the town. Gob didn't chat much with the customers, being that most smoothskins couldn't look at his face for longer than a few seconds without feeling a sickly sense of hurl coming up their throat, so he saved most of his conversation for Charon. Charon supposed the smaller ghoul enjoyed having his company, though he'd never added to or initiated any talk of his own. Still, Gob would give a little smile whenever Charon came into the bar for the evening, quickly pouring him a drink of irradiated scotch – which is all the taller ghoul ever asked for. Gob never asked about the girl and never brought her up in conversation, which was just fine by Charon. It hurt too much to think about, and his evenings in Moriarty's were spent nursing his wounds at having spent another day without Noel.

Colin Moriarty may be a bastard, but he was a smart one. No doubt he'd have to be cunning as a viper to keep the place under his thumb as he did. Charon knew the Irishman didn't like his daily presence in the bar, but as long as his caps were good and his mouth was shut it was enough to quiet any concerns he had about the ghoul. It still pissed Charon off to no end that Gob flinched like a scared puppy whenever Moriarty stepped too close, and that he immediately stiffened and shut his trap whenever the Irishman came within earshot. It was no secret that Moriarty took out his aggressions on the poor kid. Back when Noel was with him, Charon would frequently see cuts, bruises, and other signs of the beatings that had been inflicted during the few hours that the bar was closed. Noel had never noticed. Charon assumed that most humans didn't. Ghouls were tough for most people to look at anyway, and it was tougher still to make out any scars or lesions on their already-ruined bodies. But Charon had always been able to see them as clearly as he could see the goddamn sun and they'd always upset him. Charon found that Gob's beatings had slowed since he started coming around every day, but they hadn't stopped entirely. Gob was still fucking terrified of the man, and it showed every time he poked his silver head into the bar.

For all of his cruelty, Ahzrukhal had never dared to lay a hand on Charon. Ahzrukhal was an evil son of a bitch, but he had a very clear understanding of Charon's contract and used the information to his advantage, pushing the ghoul as far as he could go to get his way. Ahzrukhal knew that any physical violence on his part would invalidate their contract immediately and he'd never so much as threatened it. It was _because _Ahzrukhal knew the every in and out of his contract that Charon was surprised when he sold the thing to Noel. He hadn't thought his master would make such a careless mistake. He figured Ahzrukhal had known what Charon would like to do to him if he were ever released from his employ, though apparently he hadn't. The look of pure surprise on his face as Charon shot him point-blank had been indication enough of that.

But Gob didn't have it as easy as Charon did. Charon would have been immediately freed from any asshole owner who laid a finger on him (his contract provided for self-preservation at least), but Gob wasn't as fortunate. He was a slave, pure and simple. The only one he could turn to for relief from the beatings was the very one who had inflicted them. It was fucked up beyond words.

Charon had finally had enough. He knew that he couldn't kill Moriarty – the goddamn town would be in an uproar and he needed to stay here in case Noel ever returned. Recently Lucas Simms had taken a liking to the ghoul (whose daily lookouts for Noel included sniping any raiders or slavers who got too close to the town for comfort), but he wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through the ghoul if he started something up in town – even if it were with Moriarty.

Charon grumbled, setting his warm scotch down on the counter as he watched Moriarty come out from the back of the room. The old man eyed Nova, the whore (no doubt he'd have his fun with her later), before staring angrily at the small ghoul tending the bar. Gob flinched in response, grabbing a stained cup and drying it off as quickly as he could. Charon noticed a deep welt at the base of Gob's head, purple and ugly. He sat up straight and cleared his gravelly throat, speaking for the first time in days.

"It appears you have something on your neck."

Gob froze, looking at the bigger ghoul, his filmy eyes petrified. No doubt he figured that any attention drawn to the abrasion would only lead to more in the future. Especially with Colin standing so close by.

Charon ignored the look and spoke loud and clear, wanting the Irish bastard to hear every word.

"It looks like a bruise."

No one moved. Colin watched hesitantly, the anger gone from his eyes.

"Even you couldn't be that clumsy," Charon growled loudly.

Gob shook his head, quickly. "Y-yes," he stammered, "I am that clumsy." He was obviously trying to cover up for the Irishman in an attempt to save his own ass for when Charon had left.

Charon slammed his fist down on the bar with one quick movement. The force behind the action made the glass cups jump, rattling on the counter. He could hear shocked gasps and whispers come from the patrons of the bar, but no one moved. Everyone was locked where they were, watching the unusually quiet ghoul continue.

"No," Charon said angrily. He paused, picking up his scotch and sipping on it quietly. His voice was low and deadly when he spoke again.

"It makes me angry. I do not wish to see it anymore." He looked at Moriarty through the corner of his narrowed cloudy eyes, watching as the Irishman gulped nervously before quickly retreating back into his hidey-hole. No doubt Colin had heard of what had happened to Ahzrukhal – news like that didn't stay quiet for long. Charon might not be able to take out the bastard in the same way, but he'd be sure to get the job done somehow.

Only when Charon had finished his drink and ordered another did the bar seem to breathe again. Chatter among the few patrons resumed, and Charon once again turned immobile. Gob pushed the new drink towards him, his hand upturned as Charon reached into his pack for the caps.

"No charge, friend. This one's on me," he said in a small voice, giving Charon a small smile.

Charon grunted, returned the caps, and began sipping on his scotch. He hoped Moriarty took the goddamn hint.


	24. Chapter 24

He didn't know why he was doing the things he was doing. He hadn't heard any news about Noel for months, so he hunted, obsessively, to quench his anger and occupy his brain. He stayed close to Megaton initially, remembering that his final orders stipulated him not to follow Noel but gave no indication that he couldn't leave town on his own. He spent his weeks hunting whatever raiders, mutants, and slavers that crossed his path. He busied himself by dirtying his hands, and sold whatever loot could be found to Moira.

He found that he couldn't stay in Megaton any longer than a few days now before going stir crazy again. If he received word from Noel, or even heard about her via Three Dog, he knew he'd patiently resume his old routine of waiting for her by the city gates. Unfortunately, he'd heard nothing, and his brain seemed to delight in torturing him with the thought that she was dead. Only the slow and careful tracking and killing of raiders and the like was enough to keep the small voice quiet. As such, he did so religiously.

It made Charon feel somewhat better that Gob's life had seen marked improvements over the past few months. Moriarty hadn't laid a hand on the smaller ghoul since Charon's little altercation in the saloon. Apparently a simple glare and an implicit threat from the ghoul was enough to keep the Irishman off his favorite whipping boy. Gob almost looked happy in his tin home, though for all the improvements, he remained still a slave and a ghoul – two of the lowest forms of life in wasteland society. Charon continued to spend his evenings (whenever he spent them in Megaton rather than the wasteland, that is) in Moriarty's Saloon. Gob was always thankful for the company, and both would sit with the radio on for hours on end, listening intently for news of the girl.

Nights after fruitless night were spent in the goddamn saloon before Charon finally decided that, if he couldn't chase after the girl himself, he would chase after word of her. The best place to start – the most knowledgeable source of information – would be Canterbury Commons. The trader headquarters would undoubtedly have something on the girl, seeing as the traveling merchants touched base there to share news and restock supplies several times each month, though he wasn't sure what kind of reception he would receive. Ignoring the fact that he was a ghoul (which was a fact most humans were unable to ignore in the first place), he had put a serious damper on his merchant relations since pummeling Crazy Wolfgang, one of their lead traders, several months back. But he was losing his fucking mind without news of the girl, and he'd rather get shot trying than have to spend another week in Megaton.

He packed his bags for the long trip and left without reservation. Canterbury Commons was easy enough to find. Noel had left a merchant trade map in her locker which Charon used to guide him through the D.C. wastes. He realized how convenient traveling with the girl had been. Not just because she entertained him and had, on occasion, fucked him (he was really beginning to miss that last part right about now), but because her Pip-boy was so goddamn handy to have around. Charon was an expert in wasteland survival, but having the Pip-boy made things go much faster, and having access to a radio – even without Three Dog's updates on the girl – would have been nice.

Charon arrived at Canterbury Commons a few days later. He was initially greeted by a small army (the traders kept mercs, and plenty of them, to safeguard their stock-houses), but they had let him through when he said he knew Wolfgang. Charon hated having to drop the brute's name to gain entry, but it didn't seem as though they'd let him in any other way. The traders had a decent setup here, and it didn't take long for Charon to find the primary organizer, a mid-aged upstart who referred to himself as Uncle Roe.

Charon fished around for information, which Uncle Roe was hesitant to give. Only after Charon had invested several thousand caps into the merchant caravans did he loosen up.

"I've never heard of your girl, Noel. Haven't heard word of her from any of the others either. She special to you or something?" he asked Charon with an upturned brow.

Charon grunted and sighed. He didn't take it as a good sign that the traders hadn't heard from her.

"Wolfgang," he commanded simply, looking hard into Uncle Roe's eyes. Maybe the deft bastard had heard something about the girl.

Uncle Roe shook his head, warily watching the ghoul. "Nope. Not here. He left not long before you arrived. Heading towards the heart of D.C. Does pretty good scavenging business there. Those folk in Rivet City have always got somethin' that needs patched up."

"Mmm," Charon grumbled. "I will leave a message. See that he gets it."

"Sure thing," Uncle Roe responded, breathing a sigh of relief with the realization that the ghoul wouldn't be sticking around. "You just leave it with me. He always comes back to check-in after a few weeks." He rummaged around his office and fished out a pen and dirty piece of paper. "Here ya go."

Charon left a short note, hastily scrawling across the page.

_Noel is by herself. Send word if you find her. I am in Megaton. – Charon._

He decided not to add anything else to the note. He wouldn't bring himself to apologize for decking the merchant across the face, and he hoped his investment of caps would do enough in mending the relationship.

Uncle Roe read the note quickly, casting a skeptical look at the ghoul. "Is that all?" He asked. "You dragged your ass all the way out here for this?"

Charon nodded. "Just see that he gets it," he muttered, before walking silently from the room.

He returned to Megaton a few days later, quickly falling back into his old routine. No word had come from the girl yet, and Three Dog didn't have anything new to offer over the radio either. Charon felt himself beginning to lose hope. He had always resisted thinking of what he would do if she never returned. Now he was beginning to plan for it.

He had been out hunting for a few days, coming back heavily encumbered with raider armor and weapons. He had just entered the small city, heading for Moira's to rid himself of his spoils when Lucas Simms caught up with him.

"Ain't seen you in quite some time," he said with a tip of his hat. His bright eyes cast a look at Charon's bulging pack. "I can see you've been busy." He laughed lightly, taking in the sight of the raider sadist armor slumped over Charon's strong shoulder. "Can't say I can argue with that line of work. It seems you've been keepin' this place pretty safe with your little escapades."

Charon growled down at the sheriff. He hoped this would be quick. Without Noel, he had all the time in the world, but he didn't want to waste it with this fucker.

"Got a letter for you," he said heartily, pulling a small dirty paper from the inside of his jacket. "Some trader left it a few days back. Crow, I think. Deals in armor. Anyway, he says he's just passin' it through. Note's not from him."

He watched Charon amusedly as the ghoul plucked the paper from his fingers. "Seems like you've got more friends than I thought," he laughed. "It's not like the merchants to run mail from town to town. I'm not thinking they want to get into the habit of it. Must be pretty damn important."

Charon didn't respond, dropping the armor to the metal scaffolding with a thunk. He opened the note quickly, glancing at the signature first to see who it was from. He wasn't surprised to see Wolfgang's name scrawled at the bottom.

_Noel's safe. Haven't seen her, but got word a few days back that she was near Fort Constantine. What the fuck she's doing there, I've got no clue. I put the other merchants on lookout. If anything happens to her out there, we'll know. _

_I didn't want her hanging around with you, but having her travel alone is even worse. What's she doing all by herself anyway? Keep me updated if you catch word. _

_-- Wolfgang_

_P.S. No worries about the face. I get it, okay? All of it. ( You're sick and she's got some serious lack of judgment, but I get it.) Just keep your ugly ass alive until we can get her home to you._

Charon felt himself smiling like an idiot. Noel was alive. Thank fucking God she was still alive. That, and the traders were on the lookout for her. He re-read the note, ignoring Lucas's inquiring eyes as he waited for Charon to throw some info his way. Charon laughed to himself at Wolfgang's P.S. He might just grow to like the bastard after all.


	25. Chapter 25

The knowledge that the girl was alive and hopefully coming home soon had stoked the fire that fueled his will to go on. Charon felt, for the first time in weeks, a purpose for getting up each morning. He decided that he'd wait in Megaton for Noel to return. His hunting trips would be limited to the day only so that he could spend each evening back at the city in the hopes that he'd catch word of her.

Despite everything, being in the city still rubbed him the wrong way. Certain things grated on his fucking nerves, and now, newly rejuvenated at the hope of seeing Noel, he was planning on fixing them. He headed for Moriarty's.

Charon walked into the back room of saloon without knocking. He ignored Nova's stunned yell, pushed on the door forcefully, and stood unwavering in front of Colin Moriarty.

"How much do you want for him?"

Moriarty looked back at him from his chair, puzzled at the sudden intrusion before he covered his initial reaction with a sly grin.

"God damn, ye dark bastard. Ever hear o knockin'?

Charon narrowed his eyes. "Answer my question," he demanded.

Colin snickered. "Fell fer the kid, have ya? I wondered why ye kept coming back night after night." He laughed at his own joke. "No," he shook his head. "Gobs me best employee. Can't be lettin' him get away, can I?"

He growled. "You can and you will. I repeat: How much?"

Moriarty looked at the ghoul and put a finger on his dry lips as though he were seriously thinking about it. Finally he responded.

"My Gob's dear to me heart. I'll let him go fer 25,000 caps."

Charon shook his head without hesitation. "No good," he growled, "too much."

Moriarty let out a small laugh, leaning back on the chair and tucking his hands behind his head. "Too bad, friend. It's 25,000 or nothing."

Charon grimaced. The asking price was exorbitant. His own contract had only cost Noel 8,000. He had the caps, only barely, from hunting group after group of raiders and stripping and selling their possessions to Moira. He looked out from the corner of his eye back towards the bar. He could vaguely make out Gob wiping down some of the beaten drinkware. He hoped the idiot would be worth it.

Bringing his eyes back to Moriarty he nodded once. "Done," he growled, reaching to his pack to produce two bulging pouches of caps. He reached in again and produced another smaller pouch, busting at the seams. He tossed all three onto Moriarty's desk. "Give me his contract," he commanded.

Moriarty's eyes widened at the small fortunate lain out before him. He pursed his lips and let out a long slow whistle. "Woooo. Never figured ya for a high roller."

"Enough," Charon responded gruffly. "His contract."

Absently Moriarty's hand went to his shirt pocket and pulled out a small worn piece of folded paper. Apparently he did keep Gob close to his heart. How ironic. He handed the contract to Charon without looking, his eyes fastened on the caps before him.

Charon snatched it quickly, opening the paper and reading its contents in a matter of seconds. It was Gob's contract all right. He folded it deftly and tucked the paper into his pocket, turning to leave the room. Just before he exited he turned his head and spoke to Moriarty in a gruff voice.

"I see no further reason to be as forgiving with you as I have been. With Gob no longer in your employ, I suggest you be… careful." He smiled to himself as he exited the room, recalling the shock on the Irishman's face. He stepped briskly into the main bar, ignoring Nova's flustered expressions as he marched up to Gob.

"Go," he said gruffly to the smaller ghoul. "You're leaving." He fished the contract from his pocket in a fluid motion and pushed it into Gob's hand. "You will stay with Doc Church. I have made arrangements for you already. If you would like an escort back to Underworld, let me know."

Gob stared at him in disbelief, his mouth moving wordlessly as he watched Charon's silent form slip out the door.

* **********

Charon had indeed set Gob up to stay with Doc Church. (Nothing that a few caps in room and board couldn't handle.) It was a hell of a lot better for the smaller ghoul to be slinging bandages than slinging booze. Besides, Doc Church was a grump and having Gob follow him around like a lost puppy might ease him out a bit (if not that, then it'd be entertaining to watch at least).

Charon spent his evenings at the Doc's place mostly, playing cards by the electric lights strung around the makeshift hospital. They were a motley crew, but it would do for now. Charon simply needed to stay put until Noel arrived. He hoped it would be soon. Word about the girl was coming quicker now. Letters from Wolfgang and his crew (he'd received notes now from Lucky and Doc Hoff too) were coming a couple times a month, and Three Dog had recently revived his newsflashes with tidbits on the girl. It seemed she was doing well out there. She'd gotten people talking and some were even acting out openly against the enclave. It was terrific -- not that people were doing shit (Charon couldn't care less) but that the girl was alive and kicking still. It seemed the more he heard about her, the more people loved her. Three Dog referred to her as a saint, and the town of Megaton seemed to take some pride in the fact that she put up residence there.

It may just have been Charon's imagination, but over time the residents seemed to take a warming towards the ghouls too. It may have been the simple fact that they associated Charon with the girl (they knew that Noel, in her own way owned him), or that they were finally giving him some credit for dispatching countless raiders and slavers from their midst. Charon also chalked some of the credit to Gob, who seemed to do well with his new profession – so much so that Doc Church even seemed to take a liking to the kid too. No doubt being associated with the field of medicine was doing much more for the ghoul's reputation than being associated with a societal vice (and the bastard Moriarty on top of it). That, coupled with the fact that people were beginning to associate Gob and Charon together. They knew that Noel claimed ownership over Charon, and Charon, in his own weird way, had claimed some ownership over Gob.

The long and short of it was that the town pokes didn't just ignore the two ghouls anymore. They actually smiled at them, tried to engage them in conversation, and started treating them as though they weren't goddamn beasts. Gob relished the new attention whereas Charon shied away from it. He didn't care that the town began looking to him, more than Lucas, for protection. He cared about Noel, and she still wasn't here.

It was an evening just like any other. Charon, Gob, and Doc Church were sitting around a medical cot in the hospital. They were playing a simple hand of poker, their nightly ritual, turned more interesting with small wager of caps. If he weren't so goddamn miserable without the girl, Charon might even be enjoying himself. Gob tended to prattle and joke incessantly, but he was easy enough to ignore. The Doc was a simple man to get along with, and Charon was grateful that he took some of the brunt of Gob's attention away from himself.

They were just about to ante up for another round when Lucas Simms bust through the door, gripping something in his hand that he had shielded from the downpour outside. The radio hissed with static over one of Three Dog's songs. There hadn't been any news of Noel tonight, but that was about to change.

"God damn boys. Don't you know betting's illegal?" Lucas said in a jovial voice. "I ought to write all your asses up for this one." He winked at Gob. "But I won't. I'm tired and it's raining cats and dogs outside. I'll just pretend I didn't see this little assembly so long as you're willing to make room for one more."

Gob laughed and Charon grimaced at the sound. Gob was so goddamn happy with his new life and Charon was still fucking miserable. If he hadn't taken such a liking to the kid he'd have half a mind to slap him.

"What's that in your hand, boss?" Gob asked after Lucas settled himself in for the next round.

"Ah," Lucas said, pulling his wet duster off his body. "This, I had almost forgot. Here," he said, holding it out to Charon. "Got this just a few minutes ago. Moira gave it to me. Said some guy named Lucky gave it to her when she bought ammo earlier today. It's for you."

Charon wordlessly took the damp envelope. Moira. Charon was surprised that the note had seen the light of day again after being taken by the absentminded Moira Brown. Charon was stunned that she didn't lose her way in a goddamn box.

He opened the envelope carefully, not wanting to rip or smudge the message inside. He was starting to get used to seeing these. It seemed that when a trader came to town they seemed to be toting a letter or a message for him. More often than not they were from Wolfgang, and usually said little other than _"Noel's fine…"_ or _"Caught word of her here…"_ Charon had to give the big bastard credit. Wolfgang could be a stand-up guy.

"What's it say?" Gob asked, curious, before Charon had even unfolded the note. The bigger ghoul frowned and shot him a warning glare. Gob shut up at once.

Charon felt his heart beat irregularly as soon as he recognized the flowing script. He knew her handwriting in an instant. He blinked quickly, trying to bring the faint letters into clearer focus, suddenly excited.

_Charon,_

_It's all over. I'm coming home. I miss you so much._

_-- Noel_

He couldn't help it. He started laughing, rubbing his eyes with thick calloused fingers before re-reading the short note repeatedly. It was like sunshine in a goddamn storm, this letter from her. She was finally coming back.

"Well…" Doc Church coaxed. "You heard the kid. What does it say?"

Charon just laughed, the three men looked at each other warily. They'd never heard Charon laugh before. Maybe the ghoul had lost his goddamn mind.

"Hey," Gob asked, curious. "What's that on the back?"

Charon stopped laughing and quickly turned the damp letter over in his hand. He smiled and shook his head immediately as he recognized the thick bold lettering on his contract. She had crossed off all the words in a faint line, leaving some simple sentences of her own at the bottom.

_You are your own man now. I love you._

The sight of his own contract in his hand made him laugh all the harder.


	26. Epilogue and Thanks Page

_*Note: So I lied, this chapter comes with a disclaimer too. It's a thanks page and an epilogue, but be forewarned that the epilogue contains fluff. A lot of it. Sickly sweet, even. You won't lose any of the story if you decide to totally skip this page. In fact, you could make the argument that this page ruins everything that came before it, so you may want to stop reading right here and now. The epilogue is simply some ideas swirling about my messed up mind that have brought me personal closure to their (Charon and Noel's) story. If you're not inclined to read, then don't – I won't be offended, I swear. It may only serve to further remove the characters from their in-game personalities anyway (I had been struggling to keep them in character but I think I abandoned that a ways ago…).*_

_Thanks are in order for all the readers of this fic. Particularly those who left feedback (favorable or no, you helped to keep me plugging away at this bad boy which, believe it or not, started out as a five-chapter project. Ha ha, sorry about that folks. Got a little carried away I guess). I don't think I would have continued (or finished) the story without you. I wanted to let you know how much it meant to have your feedback and support. _

_Thanks again to my reviewers: _

_Kimmae_

_Heavenztrash_

_VaultWorker_

_That Crazy Halo Girl_

_BeccaKarr_

_Cracked Moon_

_Blackrain7557_

_Cyprith_

_Aeryn Phoenix_

_F1yIn6-4c0rn_

_It goes without saying that I don't own Fallout 3 or any of the characters in this fic, really. All of them having been inspired by something (directly or indirectly) from the game. As such, a huge kudos goes out to Bethesda for providing such an excellent and thorough gaming experience. Good job guys. _

_And now, on with the epilogue…_

Charon watched his son contentedly. James had the spirit of his mother that was for damn sure. The kid sported a constant smile on his cherubim face, his thick brown hair curled over energetic green eyes. Charon had never thought he could love anything or anyone as deeply as he loved Noel, yet the instant this little terror had come into his life he was hooked. He was a total pushover for the kid, though he refused to admit it, even to himself. It was a source of constant teasing in his relationship. Noel knew he was a softie for their son, and never let him hear the end of it.

Charon sighed, leaning back against the hospital, his mouth a fine line as he watched James splashing about in the purified pond water. Megaton had gone through a complete overhaul since Noel had finished Project Purity. People started to give a damn again, and had fixed the shithole into something that was halfway proper to live in. The people were friendly and accepting of Charon and Gob (though they remained the only two ghouls in the place), and the town had taken an immediate liking towards James since the day the kid was born.

"Uncle Gob!" James screamed excitedly, running over to where Gob sat watching. "Look what I found!" He held something wet, silver and sparkling under Gob's decayed nose.

"Whatcha got there, sport?" Gob asked, curling a red arm around the five-year old. Gob was putty in the kid's hands too. He had always been close to the family (_If you could call it that_, Charon chuckled), and had solidified his place in Megaton as soon as James had spit out the title "Uncle Gob."

Charon watched with a satisfied smile. He'd never been one for sentiment, but the scene before him made him feel as though he'd received some ultimate reward for which he never deserved. James was perfect. He had Noel's bright smile and her eager disposition. He had Charon's patience and his innate sense of skill with weapons and tracking (despite Noel's pleads, Charon had started training the boy as soon as he could walk without falling all over himself). He had smooth medium-brown hair that formed ringlets around his perfect face, and a natural charm and sense of ease that came, undoubtedly, from his father. Charon smirked at the thought. They'd picked a good father, he thought. Wolfgang had choice DNA (whatever the fuck that meant), and it was clear as shit that James came from two goddamn beautiful parents.

_Kid's gonna grow up to be a fucking heartbreaker_, Gob would proudly tell him again and again.

Despite everything that had happened in their past, Charon knew he was forever tied to the trader through James, and in his own way was grateful for it. Noel and Charon had been together for a year before eventually marrying in Megaton and settling down there for good. Noel hadn't lied when she'd left him years ago, claiming that it was for "us." She'd revitalized the wasteland through Project Purity – and was a goddamn angel in the eyes of the greater D.C. inhabitants. Nowadays, people came from all over to enlist her help on projects that would fix their shithole of a world (which was one hell of an improvement over eight years ago when they hadn't given a flying god damn). Because of her status in the wastes, she was free to do more or less whatever she wanted. And what she wanted, was to be with Charon.

_I've always hated the way people treat you_, _Charon,_ she had told him upon her much-awaited return. _I love you and I want to be with you. Not in secret, but in life. I don't want you to feel ashamed of it, and I don't want it to be something we feel the need to hide. People will still talk, yes, but they can't really do anything about it anymore, now can they? _

She was right. People had thought it strange at first, but they hadn't said a peep (not to their face at least) when they married less than a year later. Who would dare say something against their wasteland hero? After time, people had acclimated to it. Charon had been a decent guy in his own right, training soldiers and keeping the newly revamped Megaton a safe haven for all travelers, though it had helped to ease people's feelings about the ghoul when James popped into the scene. Charon had never felt comfortable being affectionate with Noel in public, and she had settled with holding his hand or linking her arm through his. But with James, people got to see a different side of him. They could tell how deeply he cared for his son through the gentle manner in which he talked to him, or the way they played together. Knowing that their goliath had a soft little underbelly and seeing it exposed before them, had helped them to realize that he was, in his own way, human.

Charon watched his son with Gob, realizing again how much the fucking kid looked like Wolfgang. Charon regretted that he was never able to give Noel a child of their own, but ghoulification tended to do that. If the radiation didn't kill you, it only made you stronger, yet no ghoul he'd ever heard of was capable of reproduction. Sex, yes. Offspring, no. It seemed that too many rads killed that part of you for good. After being married for a few years, Noel had wanted a child. She knew that Charon wouldn't be able to provide one, so they had begun looking for a donor. The immediate and most logical choice had been Wolfgang. He'd been nuts about Noel, had patched things up with Charon (enough at least), and had pretty much everything decent a man could offer: brains, looks, and charm.

Noel had wanted to do something she referred to as "in vitro," but all hopes of that had came crumbling down when it became evident that the wasteland had neither the technology, resources, nor necessary staff, to support such an undertaking. Charon hadn't fully understood what "in vitro" was, but he had been able to understand that it meant Wolfgang wouldn't lay a hand on his girl. It was hard to convince him that they needed to use the "old-fashioned method" of producing children when "in vitro" failed. He resisted stubbornly, as did Wolfgang, much to everyone's surprise. The trader had yielded only after Charon gave his consent. Charon realized how important a child was to Noel, and he had relented eventually with the knowledge that Wolfgang would get one shot with the girl in order to produce something that would make her happy. Charon, however, would be the father. No questions asked.

He'd wanted to kill Wolfgang when the deed was done, but had held back, knowing that if this thing took – if they'd get a kid out of the whole ordeal – that he'd owe the trader his life at least. And it had took, on the first try too (thank God for that). James wiggled his way into the world nine months later.

_"Call me if he wants a little brother or sister,"_ Wolfgang had teased, feasting his eyes upon James a mere day after he was born.

_"Ha ha,"_ Noel responded absently, cradling their baby in her arms. _"No thanks Timothy. You weren't _that_ good."_

Charon both hated and respected the trader for what he'd done for them. It was a seriously fucked up relationship they shared by now, but he had to admit that no one could have been a better god-parent than the merchant. Wolfgang frequented Megaton at least twice a month, stopping by regularly to see James and to pepper him with affection. To his credit, he had never once mentioned his time with Noel, and did one hell of a job compartmentalizing his role as biological father. He knew, and fully provided, Charon the job of dad. Charon didn't understand how he could feel as though he would both kill him and die for the man at the same time.

In the end, all that really mattered now was Noel and James. They both loved the hell out of him, and he fed it right back to them. To James, Charon was, and always would be, dad.

"Daddy!" James yelled, running from Gob towards his father, waving his shiny silver treasure wildly in the air. "Uncle Gob says it's special!"

Charon smiled, bending low to scoop the boy into his arms. "He said it's special?" he asked in a gravelly voice, tucking the small body close to him. "What's special?"

"This!" James held out a chubby hand, his tanned fingers had wrapped themselves around a bottlecap.

Charon gave a low chuckle and brought the boy closer to his chest. "It is a bottlecap," he sighed into his son. "You have seen those before."

"Yeah I know," James answered excitedly, kicking his little legs beneath Charon's arms. "But look at how bright it is!" He turned the cap around with damp fingers, patiently showing his father how the sunlight glinted off the cap.

"Ah…" Charon growled, "I see." He looked closely at the cap, plucking it gently from his son's outstretched hands and bringing it to his chalky eyes.

"It says Nuka-Cola Quantum," he said softly, looking into James's emerald green eyes. "These are rare." He dropped the cap back into his son's hand and wrapped his fingers around the small treasure. "This is special. You should keep this safe."

James smiled and nodded, looking up at his dad with affection. "It's a lucky charm?" he asked innocently.

Charon growled a smile in return, kissing the boy lightly on his chocolate hair. "Mmm," he agreed, "very lucky."

"Okay!" James chirped happily, kissing Charon on his ruined skin. "I'm gonna go show mommy!"

Charon nodded and gave his son a quick nuzzle before plopping him to his feet. "You do that," he said with a smile, watching as James's little legs ran inside the hospital where Noel was sure to be found.

"Mommy!" he heard his son's gentle voice call out a minute later. "Daddy says I found a lucky charm!"


End file.
